Lautaro Martínez, Inter star, about to play for Real Madrid: 'They came'

Real Madrid has always been known for focusing on great South American talents. The club's recent signings have shown this, with footballers like Fede Valverde, Endrick, or Vinícius Jr. They're not the only players from the continent who were on the list of potential signings for the club.

Because the board led by Florentino Pérez doesn't always succeed in every signing they sponsor, usually for the long term, to complete the first team. One of the most striking cases, revealed by the player himself, is Lautaro Martínez: the Argentine striker is now a key player for Inter Milan.

In a recent interview, the "10" nerazurri admitted that Madrid scouts came "to look for me when I was in Racing's youth teams". At that time, the center forward from the south was a standout figure in Argentina, without much recognition beyond South America. But Real Madrid saw something special in that footballer from La Academia.

Not many can boast of having turned down an offer from Real Madrid, but Lautaro Martínez is one of them. Instead of joining the Madrid project, the Argentine striker made it clear that he first wanted "to make a name for myself in Argentine soccer" as a guarantee of future success in the Old Continent. He achieved it, although not at Real Madrid.

Shocking: very close to becoming reality

"I made the leap when I was really ready, which was when I decided to go to Inter. I felt that was the right moment" to make the change, leaving Racing behind to embark on the European football elite. Those contacts weren't the only ones Real Madrid may have had with Inter Milan's "10".

It already happened during the summer of 2023, when the club announced Karim Benzema's departure to Al-Ittihad. Without a reference "9", transfer market rumors pointed to names like Harry Kane or Lautaro Martínez himself to definitively replace the French-Algerian striker.

Nothing could be further from the truth: in the Valdebebas offices, they always knew that the main point of the roadmap was "to wait" for Kylian Mbappé one more summer. In the end, the plans of the club's leadership worked out as they wanted... definitively keeping Lautaro Martínez away from Santiago Bernabéu locker room.

Meanwhile, Inter Milan's "10" is on the path to becoming a legend for the Italian club. With his long-term future tied to the Giuseppe Meazza, Lautaro Martínez hopes to win his first Champions League as a professional footballer against Luis Enrique's surprising PSG tonight.