Barcelona's search for a new No. 9 to replace Robert Lewandowski keeps circling back to one uncomfortable truth: their first choice may not be available. ONE reports that with Atlético Madrid refusing to even discuss a sale of Julián Álvarez, the Catalans have quietly settled on Lautaro Martínez as their leading contingency plan.
Álvarez remains Barcelona's stated priority. According to the report, the Argentine forward himself wants the move and could lean on his relationship with Atlético coach Diego Simeone to help force it through. Atlético's ownership, though, has given no indication it is willing to negotiate over a player it regards as central to its project.
That resistance has pushed Deco and Hansi Flick, Barcelona's sporting director and head coach, to treat Martínez as more than a theoretical alternative. ONE describes the 28-year-old Inter Milan captain as 'one of the central options' inside the Barcelona hierarchy should the Álvarez pursuit ultimately fail.
The appeal is tactical as much as it is reputational. Barcelona's coaching staff rate Martínez for his versatility — comfortable leading the line, dropping into build-up play, pressing from the front — qualities that would let him slot into Flick's system without the side needing to be rebuilt around a single archetype of striker.
His stock has only risen this year. Martínez was part of an Argentina squad that went deep at the 2026 World Cup, scoring three goals in the tournament, a run that reinforced his standing as one of world football's most complete forwards.
The obstacle is that Inter do not consider him for sale. Martínez is under contract in Milan until June 2029 and has become something close to a club symbol as captain, having led the line for the Nerazzurri through recent Scudetto and Champions League campaigns.
Club president Beppe Marotta has repeatedly and publicly dismissed talk of a move to Barcelona, telling reporters earlier this year there was 'no truth to the rumours' of a Lautaro transfer to Catalonia. Martínez has echoed that stance himself, saying he is happy at Inter and giving no public sign of wanting to leave.
For now, then, this is a Barcelona plan drawn up in case their primary target slips away rather than an active negotiation — one Inter shows no appetite to entertain, even as the Álvarez saga with Atlético Madrid drags on.
