Chelsea have edge in Lautaro Martinez pursuit as Pochettino ‘transfer list’ comes to light | Football | Sport

Chelsea may hold a distinct advantage over Real Madrid as the two European heavyweights prepare to battle it out for the signing of Lautaro Martinez. New Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino is believed to be a big fan of the Argentine, and his summer transfer wish list is reportedly taking shape behind the scenes.

Signing a striker is set to be a high priority for Chelsea this summer after their dismal return of 38 goals in 38 Premier League games this term. Martinez, meanwhile, is one of the hottest properties in European football, and he could add to his 28-goal haul in all competitions by netting in this weekend’s Champions League final.

According to The Times, the Inter striker is ‘high’ on Chelsea’s list of attacking targets as Pochettino believes him to be one of the best strikers in the world. Although the Blues are set to be rivalled by Real Madrid, who now have a vacancy up top after waving goodbye to Karim Benzema, they could use a returning loanee to their advantage.

Romelu Lukaku has spent this campaign on loan at Inter, solidifying his on-pitch partnership with Martinez which was built up during his first prolific spell at the San Siro.

Despite looking as though there was no way back for Lukaku at Chelsea, Pochettino is reportedly open to giving him another chance. The prospect of partnering with the returning loanee could therefore sway Martinez away from Madrid and towards west London, with the familiarity of playing alongside Lukaku sure to help his process of bedding into a new league.

Martinez has been with the Nerazzurri since signing from Argentine outfit Racing Club in 2018, scoring 102 goals in 237 games. And he is not the only star on Pochettino’s hit list as ‘between three and six players‘ will reportedly arrive this summer.

Mason Mount is attracting widely-reported interest from Manchester United, who are keen to negotiate a discount on Chelsea’s eye-watering £70million price tag. N’Golo Kante, meanwhile, is poised to join Benzema at Al-Ittihad.

Mateo Kovacic has reportedly agreed personal terms on a move to Manchester City, and even more could follow before the summer is out with Ruben Loftus-Cheek strongly linked to AC Milan and Kai Havertz rumoured to be of interest to Real Madrid.