The Inter Milan forward is an exciting talent, but he might not fit the profile of the kind of striker Quique Sentien’s side badly needs, says former Barcelona man Bojan Krkic
Bojan has urged his former employers to go after Liverpool’s frontman Roberto Firmino instead of Inter’s Lautaro Martinez.
The Camp Nou landlords are on the search for a long-term successor to Luis Suarez, and Martinez has been mentioned as the club’s priority target for the summer.
With football on the backfoot due to the ravaging coronavirus pandemic, the Catalan giants have yet to make any progress in negotiations with Inter Milan.
But former Barcelona academy graduate Bojan wants the club to instead focus on signing Firmino from the reigning European champions when transfer activities resume.
He argues that Martinez, who has adapted to Inter’s counter-attacking style, is similar in profile to Antoine Griezmann and may struggle at Barca like the Frenchman.
Firmino, however, is a natural centre-forward with an excellent ability to link-up play, who can thrive for the Blaugrana in precisely the same position he excels for Liverpool.
“Inter Milan do not usually take the initiative, and that makes me think that Lautaro could occupy an area at Barca that is not naturally his,” Bojan said in an interview with Sport as per Goal.com.
“[That is] something that would certainly be a shame. If you allow me a name, I would bet more on Roberto Firmino: a link player, with a lot of presence and great mobility.”
It’s highly unlikely, though, that Jurgen Klopp would consider the prospect of selling Firmino, with the Brazilian one of the Reds’ key players.
Firmino has netted a decent tally of 77 goals from 233 outings for the Merseyside giants, but it is his link-up play, which has made him indispensable from the starting lineup when fit.
The former Hoffenheim man has bagged 59 assists during his four-and-a-half stay with the Reds and has made a goalscoring contribution in every 130 minutes, which is pretty impressive.