Why Pep Guardiola needs Lautaro Martinez at Manchester City

 No other striker is available in the market at the moment.

There was a time in a football when few clubs were spoilt with riches. Clubs like Manchester United had Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the bench despite the club playing with two strikers upfront. However, the target men are now less available and clubs are going ahead with formations containing a front three.

City have the likes of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus at their disposal, they have failed to pin down their starting positions. On the other hand, Man City have failed to prize away Harry Kane from North London. Even if they try to lure him to the Etihad, it would cost anywhere near €200 million for the England skipper.

There are strikers like Pierre Emerick Aubameyang available at the moment for a lower price. However, the Gabon international is also not getting younger and he would not be the heir to Sergio Aguero’s throne.

Very few clubs can afford Lautaro Martinez

The 23-year-old Argentine forward has a release clause of €111 million which recently expired in summer. His stats in Italy might have increased his price by at least €10 million, which would be a daunting task for the clubs across Europe to meet.

Barcelona are also linked with Martinez. At Camp Nou, the Catalans also face a similar dilemma or one can say, a dilemma of higher magnitude. Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi are aging and there is no proper players to replace them.

Though Coutinho can partially fill the boots of Lionel Messi, nobody is present for the Spanish outfit to replace Suarez. However, the previous big-money moves have failed badly at Camp Nou and Bartomeu may not go-ahead to sign the player.

Manchester City have time and again showed their financial muscle power. In four seasons, they have spent close to £350 million just to reinforce their defense. It would not be a difficult task for the side to sign the Inter Milan striker.