Barcelona chief Deco reveals truth behind Catalan club's summer pursuit of Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez

Barcelona sporting director Deco has revealed that his club were interested in signing Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez during the recent transfer window.

Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres both left Barcelona over the summer, and Atletico Madrid's Julian Alvarez was seen as a priority target, but a move for the Argentine did not occur.

Barcelona were also heavily linked with Martinez, and according to Deco, there was genuine interest from the Catalan giants, but they dropped their pursuit after speaking with his Italian club.

“I think, first of all, Lautaro is an Inter icon, so we have a lot of respect for that,” Deco told reporters at the annual Portugal Football Summit.

"He’s a fantastic player, a spectacular player, an Inter icon and the captain, and out of respect for the player and the club, the moment the club told us he wasn’t available, we didn’t try to contact him again.

Barcelona confirm summer interest in Martinez

"We try to do things in a very proper and transparent way. Sometimes there’s no speculation in the press, but it’s true that at one point, of the strikers we were looking for, who we thought could be good players for Barca, Lautaro was one of them.

"But the moment my president spoke with the Inter presidents and they said he wasn’t for sale, out of respect, we never spoke again, we never contacted the player or his agent again. But it’s also true that he was a player we liked and who we love, and I personally like him a lot.”

Martinez has a record of 179 goals and 57 assists in 381 appearances for Inter, while his contract with the Milan giants is due to run until the summer of 2029.

The striker recently discussed the summer interest from Barcelona, revealing that he wants to finish his career with his current side.

Barcelona have not been short of goals this season

This season, the 29-year-old has four goals and one assist in five appearances for Inter, but Barcelona have also not been short of goals this term, scoring 36 times across their eight games in all competitions.

Raphinha, who has been operating through the middle, has incredibly already scored 14 times this term, while Lamine Yamal has eight; Gabriel Jesus has also come up with two goals, having arrived from Arsenal late in the transfer window.

Barcelona are still believed to be keen to sign a new striker next year; Alvarez remains a target, while the La Liga champions are said to be keeping a close eye on Harry Kane's contract situation at Bayern Munich.