Report: Tottenham stunned as champions decide to keep sensational player despite £76m bid

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Tottenham will be forced to give up the ghost when it comes to landing Inter forward Lautaro Martinez this summer. Fabrizio Romano believes the Serie A outfit will now keep their talisman despite £76 million bids from Spurs and Atletico Madrid.

The bids were thought to be £56 million upfront, with the rest on the basis of performance-related add-ons. The Italian champions are standing form though in the wake of Romelu Lukaku’s move to Chelsea this summer.

Martinez would have been a stunning addition to any club. Tottenham would have certainly liked him on the back of Harry Kane wanting out amid interest from Manchester City.

The Argentine has been linked with Arsenal as well at Spurs this summer. Now, it seems as though Inter are standing firm and will not be entertaining a sale.

Last season he was lethal in attack alongside Lukaku. The 23-year-old scored 19 goals and claimed 11 assists, operating typically as a centre-forward under Antonio Conte.

Inter’s stance does represent a blow to Tottenham. They won’t fancy a below-par replacement for Kane and will need a stellar forward.

It would appear that it won’t be Martinez though. As a result, Tottenham must go back to the drawing board and call on a probably extensive list of forward options.

Tottenham will be stunned by Martinez news

It’s fair to say that Fabio Paratici will have been prioritising Martinez as the perfect replacement for Kane should he move on from Tottenham.

Now, the Argentine is set to stay put. Luckily for Spurs, Paratici is a proactive sporting director and his list of targets should be pretty useful to call upon.

Tottenham have to get their business right this summer. Sunday’s win was a great one but Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad still need reinforcements before the deadline.

Martinez now looks to be off the radar. Supporters will be disappointed and the challenge for Paratici is to land another exciting striker instead.