Atletico Madrid are very close to sealing a deal for young Argentinian striker Lautaro Martinez, his agent Rolando Zarate has confirmed.
Zarate revealed back in February that Arsenal had been tracking the 20 year old but it seems as though he will be moving to La Liga instead. Speaking to Fox Sports Argentina (translated by Football-Espana.net), Zarate said a transfer from his current team Racing Club was 99% completed:
“There is a 99 percent chance that the deal will be done. Lautaro asked us expressly for the transfer to be nailed down. He likes the idea of Atletico Madrid and they have agreed to it. He wants to remain for another season because he wants to play the Copa Libertadores with Racing.”
The fee is reportedly €10m according to Mundo Deportivo, above the striker’s reported release clause. He has yet to make an appearance for Argentina’s senior team but he has excelled at Under 20 level where he has scored seven goals in 11 appearances.
He was involved in some controversy at the Under 20 World Cup earlier this summer though when he was sent off in the first group match in the 3-0 defeat to eventual tournament winners England. He scored two goals in the 5-0 win over Guinea in the third group game but they were eliminated from the competition.
