Barcelona has a Plan B, and it wears the Inter Milan armband. The Catalan giants are eyeing Lautaro Martínez as their fallback striker option after negotiations for Julián Álvarez hit a wall, with Atlético Madrid refusing to budge on either availability or valuation.
Why Álvarez isn’t coming easy
Barcelona’s original plan was straightforward: sign Álvarez from Atlético Madrid to anchor the attack for years to come. That plan ran headfirst into Atlético’s asking price, which sources describe as elevated, and their general unwillingness to let the Argentine forward leave.
The club has reportedly scaled back its pursuit of Álvarez, pivoting toward alternatives rather than continuing to bang on a door that won’t open.
Martínez: the Inter Milan captain with 20-goal seasons
