Inter Milan want striker Lautaro Martinez to request a move away from the San Siro this summer before they let him leave.
Barcelona are leading the way to sign the 22-year-old, but Manchester City and Chelsea are also keen.
The Nou Camp side had been hoping to agree a deal with Inter to sign him for below his release clause, with the potential of adding in players to exchange.
However, Inter's owners have now stepped in and thrown a spanner in the works.
According to Spanish outlet SPORT, Inter's owners, Chinese company ‘Suning', have decided they will only let their star man leave for below his release clause if he requests a transfer.
Martinez's release clause currently stands at £97.5million, which GoalBall understands will only be active for the first few weeks of the upcoming window.
Barca originally wanted to pay less for the Argentine forward and were exploring the possibility of exchanging players to sweeten the pot.
Martinez is determined to join the Catalans next season instead of either City or Chelsea, and part of the reason is Lionel Messi.
“There’s a very big possibility,” Martinez's agent, Sergio Zarate, admitted over the weekend when he was asked about his client's chances of joining the Catalan side.
“Leo [Messi] is there, I think he has a bit more chance of wanting to move beside the best (player) of all.
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“Inter can want whatever they want, but the market rules.”
This article was most recently revised and updated 5 years ago
