The Argentina international was one of the options considered by Barcelona as the club looked for attacking reinforcements. After their pursuit of Julián Alvarez failed to produce a deal, Lautaro emerged as another possibility, although Inter's position quickly made it clear there would be no negotiation.
Laporta explained that he decided to approach Marotta personally rather than involving intermediaries.
“I called Beppe Marotta. Him and me, without intermediaries,” the Barcelona president told the Corriere dello Sport. “I told him that I would be delighted to have Lautaro in my team and that I admired the player very much.”
The conversation did not last long.
According to Laporta, Marotta interrupted before he could develop the proposal and immediately made Inter Milan's position clear: Lautaro was not for sale.
“He didn't even let me finish speaking,” Laporta said. “He told me clearly that the player was not for sale and that he would not be the one deciding whether he left or not.”
That response brought Barcelona's interest to an end.
Laporta said he respected Marotta's position and the relationship between the two presidents, meaning there was no attempt to continue negotiations once Inter had made its stance clear.
“So I stopped all the discussions. There was no way to continue,” he said. “Marotta and I have a relationship of mutual trust. We didn't go any further out of respect for him and Inter.”
The revelation confirms that Barcelona's interest in Lautaro went beyond the speculation surrounding the transfer window. Laporta himself was prepared to make a direct approach for the Inter captain, but the Italian club's refusal meant there was no opportunity to establish a fee or discuss personal terms.
Barcelona ultimately had to look elsewhere after failing to secure either of the attacking targets it had considered.
Lautaro's importance to Inter was also reflected in Marotta's immediate response. Rather than opening discussions over the player's valuation, the Inter president made it clear that the club's intention was to retain him.
Laporta also used his interview to discuss Cesc Fábregas, who is now making a name for himself as a coach at Como and has been linked with the possibility of eventually returning to Barcelona.
The former Barcelona midfielder remains highly regarded by the club president.
“Cesc is one of us and we are very happy with the success he is having at Como,” Laporta said. “He deserves it completely.”
Barcelona will face Fábregas again in the Champions League, giving the former midfielder an opportunity to return to the club where he developed as a player.
“He knows our mentality and the Barça vision better than anyone,” Laporta said. “He grew up here and this will always be his home.”
For now, however, Laporta's faith remains with Hansi Flick.
“We like his way of understanding football,” he said of Fábregas. “But now we have a great coach like Flick. And you have already seen what he is capable of.”