Barcelona have identified Lautaro Martínez as their fallback option if Julián Álvarez's move from Atletico Madrid continues to stall, according to El Desmarque.
The Argentine, who captains Inter and remains close to Hansi Flick's profile for a new number nine, has drawn renewed attention from Barcelona's sporting director Deco after Atlético reiterated their refusal to negotiate over Álvarez outside of his €500 million release clause.
Lautaro, who turns 29 this month, is under contract at Inter until 2029 and was previously the subject of a failed Barcelona pursuit years ago, before financial troubles at the Camp Nou scuppered the deal.
Inter Milan's asking price, should they ever entertain a sale, is reported to be in excess of €100 million — a figure Barcelona have not yet moved to test, with the club waiting to see how this week's meeting between Álvarez and Diego Simeone plays out before deciding whether to activate their interest in the Inter captain.
At the other end of the market, Inter are the ones doing the pursuing. According to Fabrizio Romano, Inter remain keen on signing Tottenham full-back Djed Spence to fill their right wing-back slot, though the two clubs remain some distance apart on valuation.
Spurs have been holding out for a fee in the region of €40-45 million for the 25-year-old, whose stock rose sharply after a string of strong performances for England at this year's World Cup. Inter currently regard that price as too high, but Romano says the Serie A champions remain attentive and could move quickly if Tottenham's conditions shift in the coming weeks.
Spence, who spent part of the 2023-24 season on loan at Genoa, would represent a return to Italian football and is reportedly open to the move despite his growing importance to Thomas Tuchel's England side.
AC Milan have also registered interest in Spence in recent days, which could complicate Inter's pursuit if Tottenham manage to spark a bidding war between the two Serie A clubs.
For now, both situations remain unresolved: Inter continue monitoring Spence's availability from a distance, while quietly aware that their own captain's future could yet become a talking point if Barcelona's pursuit of Álvarez collapses entirely.