Gabriel Jesus Move Follows Barcelona’s Lautaro Setback
Barcelona have confirmed their interest in Inter captain Lautaro Martínez is dead after the Nerazzurri’s hierarchy told the Catalan club he was not for sale.
Sporting director Deco said Martínez was one of the strikers Barcelona evaluated during their summer search for attacking reinforcements, but confirmed the club’s president raised the matter directly with Inter’s leadership rather than approaching the player or his representatives. Once told Martínez wasn’t available, Barcelona dropped the matter entirely.
According to Pulse Sports, Deco made the comments at the Portugal Football Summit on September 24, a day before the report was published. He stressed that Barcelona wanted to operate transparently, respecting both the player and the club rather than pushing for a deal Inter had already ruled out.
Álvarez Blocked, Jesus Arrives Instead
Martínez’s situation mirrored Barcelona’s other major frustration of the window. Julián Álvarez was Deco’s primary target throughout the summer, but Atlético Madrid refused to sanction any sale of the Argentine forward.
With both avenues closed, Barcelona moved on deadline day for Gabriel Jesus, agreeing a permanent transfer from Arsenal worth an initial €10 million plus add-ons. The 29-year-old Brazilian signed a two-year contract after his opportunities under Mikel Arteta had dried up.
Deco framed the pivot as sensible business given Raphinha had already begun operating as Barcelona’s central attacker, making Jesus a complementary rather than like-for-like signing. Throughout, he was careful to describe Martínez as an Inter icon and the club’s captain, language that underlined why Inter were never going to entertain a departure for their talisman.
Martínez Reaffirms Commitment
Once the window shut, Martínez publicly addressed the speculation, telling Sky Italia he had chosen to stay with his teammates and the fans who have always supported him, having weighed interest from major clubs. His form has backed that decision: four goals in his opening four Serie A matches this season, on top of two Capocannoniere titles and 179 goals in all competitions for Inter.
Barcelona’s own attack, meanwhile, has hardly suffered. Raphinha scored consecutive LaLiga hat-tricks against Racing Santander and Sevilla in the same September, giving Deco little reason to revisit the Martínez question Barcelona have already closed.
