Deco: "Lautaro is Barcelona quality, we liked him and we still like him. We stopped when Inter told us he was not for sale"

Is the Lautaro-Barcelona saga set to start up again?

For Lautaro Martinez, the present is still called Inter. The Inter captain keeps delivering goals and standout performances in the Nerazzurri shirt, but there was a spell last summer when the prospect of seeing him in another one, that of Barcelona, became a real concern at the gates of Viale della Liberazione.

The Catalan club did make a genuine attempt to sign the Argentine striker and it cannot be ruled out that the move could be revisited in the next transfer windows. Barcelona sporting director Deco confirmed as much to Sky and Sportitalia, explaining why the deal stalled in the summer, while he also reiterated his admiration for a player he described as "spectacular".

Lautaro extraordinary

"Lautaro is an Inter idol and we have a great deal of respect for that. I think he is a fantastic player, a spectacular player, an icon, an Inter legend, the captain"

Why the move did not go through in the summer

"Out of respect for the player and out of respect for the club, the moment the club told us he was not available, we did not try, we did not speak any more. We try to do things properly, and in a very clear way. Sometimes there is a lot of speculation in the press, but the clubs know how things really went."

Lautaro is Barcelona calibre

"It’s true, there was a moment when, among the players we were looking at, among those we believed were Barça players, Lautaro was one of them. When my president spoke with the Inter directors and they told him he was not for sale, out of respect we did not speak again, not even with the player or his agent."

We liked him and we still like him

"In any case, yes, it's true that he was a player we liked and that we like, and I personally like him"