Barcelona president Joan Laporta reveals Lautaro Martinez talks and backs Cesc Fabregas

\n\nJoan Laporta says Barcelona tried to sign Inter Milan captain Lautaro Martinez “at any cost” during negotiations held in late August.

The Barcelona president confirmed that he personally contacted Inter president Beppe Marotta after sporting director Deco had already disclosed some details of the discussions.

“Lautaro is an extraordinary player and we did not want to miss the opportunity to sign him at any cost,” Laporta told Corriere dello Sport. “So I called president Marotta, and he told me that the player was not for sale.”

Laporta said Martinez was open to the possibility of moving to Barcelona, but Inter’s position ultimately ended the club’s pursuit of the Argentina international.

“Inter said ‘no’, and we understood that the final decision over his departure was not in the hands of the player because the club wanted to keep him,” he added.

“Therefore, out of respect for Beppe Marotta, whom I greatly admire, we stopped trying to sign him. That was the end of the matter.”

Laporta also discussed Como head coach Cesc Fabregas, whose contract contains a release clause that would allow Barcelona to sign him if the club decided to do so.

Fabregas continues to attract Barcelona’s attention

The Barcelona president said the club was following Fabregas’ coaching career closely, although he made clear there would be no immediate change to the team’s management.

“He is one of the club’s sons, and we are extremely happy with the success he is achieving with Como; he thoroughly deserves it,” Laporta said. “We look forward to his return to Camp Nou.”

“Fabregas understands our mentality and Barcelona’s vision better than anyone else. He grew up here, and this place will always be his home. We admire his style of football.

“However, we currently have an excellent coach in Flick, and you have already seen what he is capable of achieving.”

Laporta said he was highly satisfied with Barcelona’s sporting project and believed the club had returned to the ranks of the world’s leading teams on the pitch.

“We have attracted the world’s attention again, and this coach has impressed us and earned our trust,” he said.

“But internally, we remind ourselves that we must ‘fly at a low altitude’ – in other words, remain humble and keep our feet on the ground.

“There is no room for complacency. We must fight to achieve everything.”