“Well, He’s Certainly Worth More Than €100 Million.”
Written By Onyeka Daniel
Since late last year, Inter Milan have been in talks with the agent of their captain, Lautaro Martinez over renewing his contract with talks that he’s set to receive an increase in his salary to reflect his rising importance to club.
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And according to legendary former Inter captain, Beppe Bergomi, he feels that Martinez is worth in excess of €100 million currently. He revealed this in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, and he also gave his reaction to yesterday’s Derby d’Italia win.
Martinez inherited the captain’s armband from Samir Handanovic last summer, and right now, Inter are aiming to tie down the 26-year-old’s future with a new long-term contract. He is currently Inter’s top scorer, and leads the way in the Serie A scoring charts overall.
And in the highly likely even that Martinez ends the season as the Nerazzurri’s leading goalscorer, that would make it three seasons in a row in which he has done so. When asked what he thinks the market value of Martinez would be, Bergomi said “Well, certainly more than €100 million.”
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“We’ve seen the kind of fees that Osimhen has been linked with, as a former Serie A top scorer,” the former defender continued. “Well, Lautaro is currently way ahead of him in the standings this season,” he noted. Therefore, Bergomi argued that the importance of Inter wrapping up contract extension talks with Martinez is “Massive.”
“He’s a player with great quality who has also grown a lot in terms of leadership,” the former Inter captain continued. “Everyone who plays around him improves,” Bergomi said of Martinez. “He’s a point of reference for the team,” he continued. “He’s the captain. It is absolutely vital that he stays.” “He’s one of those players who feel the shirt very profoundly,” the former defender added.
“He plays each match with incredible intensity.” And of yesterday’s win over Juventus, Bergomi said that “It went as I expected. A very blocked-off match. Inter have a precise way of taking to the pitch,” he continued. “And were able to dictate the pace of the match.”
“Then once they unlocked it, it became a different match,” Bergomi observed. “Juve created a couple of dangerous situations, in the second half in particular. Leaving spaces for the opposition to take advantage of.”
“On the other hand, Inzaghi’s teams know how to play very well on the counter.” He further added. Inter CEO, Beppe Marotta also confirmed that the club is in talks to extend, not just with Lautaro, but also with Nicolo Barella, “We are not in a hurry, nobody will leave for free,” Marotta said.
“We want to consolidate the bond with players who prove their love for the jersey like Lautaro and Barella, but not only them. The nice thing is that we are dealing with professional players who love the club and the brand.” He continued.
Meanwhile…
At the moment, Barella’s contract with Inter runs out at the end of June 2026. The former Cagliari midfielder, who joined the Nerazzurri in the summer of 2019, signed his current deal in the fall of 2021. Therefore, there is a sense that it is time for Inter to update Barella’s contract.
It is not as though an extension is an imminent priority to avoid losing the Italian international on a free transfer or anything like that. But Barella remains one of the key players in Inter’s spine. And the midfielder is still just 26 years of age. Therefore, there is a sense that Inter want to keep hold of Barella for many years to come.
The ex-Rossoblu man is currently the club’s vice-captain, and one of the first names on the teamsheet. Barella has currently made 216 appearances for Inter since the start of the 2019-20 season. The 26-year-old has won the Serie A title with the Nerazzurri, as well as the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana on two occasions each.
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Barella has also helped Inter to reach the Europa League and Champions League finals. He has also become a key starter with the Italian national team, helping the Azzurri to win the Euros in the summer of 2021. Given all of this, it is little surprise that there is transfer interest in Barella. The likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool have all been reported as hoping to bring the Nerazzurri midfielder to the Premier League.
But not if Inter have anything to say about it. A report from Italy has it that the Nerazzurri are already starting up contract extension talks with Barella’s representatives, which has now been confirmed by the club executive. The report further stated that there was a meeting between Barella’s representatives and Inter executives whilst the team was in Saudi Arabia for the Supercoppa Italiana.
The purpose of this meeting was hardly to sort out any decisive details on a new deal for Barella. Rather, Inter and Barella’s representatives opened up the discussions. The Nerazzurri have already laid the groundwork for contract negotiations. Therefore, it would seem as though the coming weeks and months will see these talks progress further.
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