Martinez will have to earn his place at Barcelona: Scaloni
The Argentina international forward scored 16 goals in 31 matches across all competitions before the 2019-20 season was halted due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Published : May 26, 2020 09:39 IST
Lautaro Martinez will have to earn his place at Barcelona if he leaves Inter, according to Argentina head coach Lionel Scaloni.
Martinez has been tipped to swap Serie A side Inter for LaLiga champions Barca in the off-season following his exploits in Italy.
The Argentina international forward scored 16 goals in 31 matches across all competitions before the 2019-20 season was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Scaloni was asked about Martinez's future amid the transfer speculation and the Argentina boss told Radio La Red: "If Lautaro gets to go to Barcelona, I think the coach [Quique Setien] is going to look for a way to start him, he is going to have to sacrifice and earn his place."
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"Taking Lautaro out of Inter is not going to be easy. I would like Lautaro Martinez to play, to have continuity," Scaloni added.
"Lautaro has one thing that he runs for him and for his team-mate. He will be the reference striker for the future."
Martinez swapped Racing Club for Inter in 2018 and he has quickly established himself as one of the most sought-after forwards in European football.
He has scored 25 goals in total since joining Inter from Racing Club.