Why the hype for Lautaro Martinez is justified

Despite only joining Inter Milan in 2018, Martinez has been subject to intense speculation surrounding a move to Barcelona.

So why is there so much hype for a player who has scored a modest 11 goals in Serie A?

The Game of Opinions podcast recruited Italian football experts Simone Eterno and Siavoush Fallahi to discuss all things Inter and answer why the 22-year-old is one of Europe’s most wanted players.

"He’s a player who can dribble, who is strong, who can assist, who can shoot," says Fallahi, who says his performances alongside Messi for Argentina have tempted Barcelona.

"Knowing each other from the national team, and knowing that Luis Suarez is getting older, I think Barcelona really want him. He was also very good against Barca in both legs of their Champions League tie.

"He should have scored more goals and assists. But he’s a guy who was playing in the Argentinian league one year ago, he’s 22.

"He’s a player that is very interesting. You can see he has that star quality and that potential to become… you don’t know how good."

Meanwhile, Eterno believes that his role encompasses far more than just scoring goals.

"The guy who is scoring for Inter Milan is Romelu Lukaku. They work together perfectly, they fit so good," he said.

"Antonio Conte did an amazing job with that. Lautaro reminds me a little bit of Carlos Tevez, strong, able to dribble, able to work for the team, not just to score."