Juan Laporta, the president of FC Barcelona, spoke about the reality of negotiations between Barça and Inter Milan's management regarding the signing of Lautaro Martínez, the star of Nerazzurri.
Barcelona was linked with a move for Lautaro Martínez during the last summer transfer window, as Blaugrana sought to sign the Argentine international after failing to secure Atlético Madrid striker Julián Álvarez.
Laporta confirmed in an interview with the newspaper 'Corriere dello Sport' that he indeed wanted to bring Lautaro Martínez to Barcelona, but Inter Milan told him that the player was not for sale.
Laporta said: "Lautaro Martínez is an amazing player, and we didn't want to miss the opportunity to sign him, so I contacted Inter Milan's president, Marotta, but he told me that the player is not for sale."
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He added: "Inter Milan informed me of their refusal to sell Lautaro, then we told them that this decision would not be up to the player himself, as Inter wanted to keep his services. Therefore, out of respect for Beppe Marotta, we stopped our attempts to sign him."
Laporta praised former Barcelona star and current Como coach Cesc Fàbregas, commenting on the possibility of signing him in the future to succeed Hansi Flick.
Fàbregas will return to the 'Camp Nou' stadium again, but in the guise of an opponent, as Barcelona hosts Como on January 27th, for the league phase of the UEFA Champions League.
Laporta clarified: "Fàbregas is one of us, we are very happy with the success he is achieving at Como, he deserves it, and we naturally welcome his return to Camp Nou and look forward to it. He knows the mentality of this club better than anyone else, as he grew up here, and this place will always remain his home. We also admire his style of football, however, we currently have a wonderful coach like Flick, and you have already seen what he is capable of achieving".
Laporta expressed great satisfaction with Barcelona's current project, concluding: "Everyone is now afraid to face Barcelona, as Flick has succeeded in convincing us, but we must remind ourselves of the need for humility and maintaining our realism, as there is no room for complacency, and we must fight for everything."