Arsenal made contact with Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez over a potential transfer late in the summer window, according to a report.
Isaan Khan reports for the Daily Mail that Arsenal assistant manager Gabriel Heinze reached out to Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martinez over a potential transfer early last week.
Inter refused to entertain any kind of deal, and Martinez still has another three years on his contract, so the Gunners’ pursuit didn’t go far. But the 29-year-old is yet another player Arsenal appear to have held at least some interest in over the summer.
Argentina international Martinez has been with Inter for a long time now, having joined them from Racing Club in 2018. If he sees out his contract, he’ll hit 11 years with the Serie A side.
It’s been a successful spell so far, with the player winning three Serie A titles, three Coppa Italia trophies, and three Suppercoppa Italiana titles at Inter. He’s made 378 appearances along the way, scoring 175 goals.
The striker also had a good individual season in 2025/26, scoring 22 and assisting six in 41 games. That included a goal in the cup final against Lazio, and 17 more goals on the way to Inter’s latest league title.
His form dried up in the big games in Europe, with four goals in three games against competition minnows Slavia Praha, Union SG, and Kairat followed by five consecutive blanks against Atletico, Liverpool, Arsenal, Dortmund, and Bodo/Glimt. But it was still a solid campaign overall.
Inter were never particularly likely to sell a key starter so late in the transfer window, and perhaps Arsenal’s move speaks more to their desperation to add attacking quality than to a genuine belief in the signing.
The Gunners ultimately failed to sign anyone other than Christos Tzolis for their front three, despite letting a number of players go. Mikel Arteta will hope that doesn’t come back to haunt his side.
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