Joan Laporta confirmed Barcelona pursued Lautaro Martínez this summer but abandoned the effort after a direct call with Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta made clear the striker was not for sale. Laporta said he told Marotta he would have loved to have Lautaro on his team due to his admiration, but Marotta shut down the conversation immediately, stating the decision was not up to the player. Following failed attempts to sign Julián Álvarez and Lautaro, Barcelona signed Gabriel Jesus on the final day of the transfer window.

However, the striking solution emerged internally as Raphinha was converted to a No.9, scoring 14 goals in eight appearances, including back-to-back La Liga hat tricks. Martínez, who has a contract with Inter until 2029, has scored 179 goals in 381 appearances since joining from Racing Club in 2018, winning three Scudettos and three Coppas Italia. He previously stated being linked to Barcelona was an honour but pledged his future to Inter.