Real Madrid join Barcelona in Lautaro Martinez race?

Barcelona will reportedly have to fend off competition from La Liga rivals Real Madrid to secure the signature of Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez.

The Argentine has long been linked with a switch to the Catalan giants, although a recent report suggested that Barca are close to throwing in the towel in their pursuit of Martinez for the time being.

Due to the finacial implications of the coronavirus pandemic, Ronald Koeman's side have supposedly been reluctant to trigger the striker's €111m (£102.5m) release clause, with current Barca frontman Luis Suarez all but set to depart during the transfer window.

However, according to Sport Mediaset, Real have stolen a march in the race for Martinez and have offered Inter €100m (£92.4m) plus out-of-favour forward Luka Jovic for the 23-year-old.

The report also suggests that I Nerazzurri manager Antonio Conte would be open to a sale so he can invest the funds elsewhere into the team, with the former Chelsea boss said to be eyeing up a reunion with current Blues midfielder N'Golo Kante at the San Siro.

Martinez, who is contracted to Inter until 2023, registered 21 goals and seven assists for Conte's side across all competitions during the 2019-20 campaign.