Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has been linked with his former striker Lautaro Martinez ever since he arrived in north London – now one renowned transfer guru has confirmed that the interest is real.
Spurs were embroiled in a transfer saga last summer over the talismanic Harry Kane, who was close to joining champions Manchester City. When Conte arrived at the club, his leading striker had endured a tough start to the season, while rumours were refusing to die down over an exit in 2022.
Kane has turned the tide, however, flourishing under Tottenham's new direction alongside new signing Dejan Kulusevski and long-term partner-in-crime Son Heung-min – but apparently, Inter striker Martinez is still of interest to Conte.
“In the Premier League, there is Tottenham, of course, with Antonio Conte interested,” Fabrizio Romano told CBS Sports Golazo of the Argentine.
Spurs will be buoyed by another factor in the potential deal, too, with Romano claiming, “There is no release clause in his contract, so for the moment, everything is still quiet.”
Given that any potential deal for Martinez may well come down to a bidding war, Tottenham would back themselves as a Premier League giant to outmuscle the likes of Atletico Madrid financially, who Romano has also linked as a potential destination for the 24-year-old.
Tottenham are said to be looking at a number of younger options ahead of this transfer window, with the likes of Alex Scott of Bristol City and Keane Lewis-Potter of Hull City rumoured to be on the club's radar.
Martinez is valued at £63 million by Transfermarkt.
More Tottenham stories
Antonio Conte has been vocal in recent weeks about the direction that Tottenham need to head in, claiming that Steven Bergwijn needs to believe in himself a little more and stating just how important it is to win the race for the top four.
Spurs have been linked with a number of youngsters, too. Hugo Ekitike is reportedly on the radar, as is Charles De Ketelaere.
One surprising report states that the club are interested in Memphis Depay, while an Inter Milan star who has worked under Conte is also a reported target.
‘Pallister had a cracking voice, but Parker, Keane and Irwin were hating it. All of the other lads were shuffling to the back, so I took the pressure off them’: Lee Sharpe recalls recording Man United's No.1 single
‘He instantly popped into our ratings as one of the best U21 midfielders in Europe. The impressive thing is Slot has made him into more of a no.6' Inside Ryan Gravenberch's transformation at Liverpool
