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‘Confirmed’ deal dampens Tottenham transfer dream, puts wrinkle in Antonio Conte to Man Utd strand

Tottenham and Manchester United have both suffered blows to potential moves in the near future after news broke of a ‘confirmed’ deal for Inter Milan striker, Lautaro Martinez.

Martinez, 24, is now the main man at Inter Milan following the summer departure of Romelu Lukaku. Veteran hitman Edin Dzeko was signed to soften the blow. But aged 35, the ex-Man City striker is only a short-term fix.

Inter’s financial woes were well documented over the summer. Achraf Hakimi also left when joining PSG for €60m, but there had been genuine fears Martinez could have to be sacrificed as well.

Ultimately, the Argentine remained with the Serie A champions. That was despite heavy interest from Tottenham at the peak of the uncertainty surrounding Harry Kane.

Martinez was most recently linked with fellow Premier League side Manchester United. The Red Devils may soon be on the lookout for a new manager as pressure continues to mount on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The likes of Zinedine Zidane and Erik ten Hag have been linked. Though few would argue that Antonio Conte would be the superior choice.

The Italian has been a serial winner wherever he has managed. He has scooped league titles at each of his last three clubs (Juventus, Chelsea and Inter).

A recent report from The Sun claimed that if Conte were installed at Old Trafford, he could look to bring a pair of Inter stars with him.

Conte left Inter in the summer, though has seen first hand what their elite stars can do. The Sun claimed both Lautaro Martinez and centre-back Milan Skriniar could join the United revolution.

However, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has provided an update that makes grim reading for both United and Spurs.

Romano tweeted Martinez has ‘signed his new contract’ with Inter, labelling the deal as ‘confirmed.’

Martinez’s new contract will run through to 2026, but crucially, his release clause has been removed.

The Argentine was reportedly available for the sum of €111m (£roughly £94m), though that clause has now been erased.

As such, if Kane were to be granted his wish of a Tottenham exit, it appears unlikely Martinez would be his replacement in north London.

Likewise, if Conte were to succeed Solskjaer, his desire to be reunited with Martinez is unlikely to materialise.

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Mourinho eyeing Man Utd reunion

Meanwhile, Diogo Dalot wants to leave Manchester United in January and has become a top target for Jose Mourinho in the process, according to reports.

Dalot has been a Man Utd player since 2018 upon joining from FC Porto, but has never established himself as a regular starter.

The full-back found more space when he went on loan to AC Milan last season. Over in Italy, he featured in 33 matches across all competitions. Now, as he continues to struggle to cement his place at Old Trafford, he is a wanted man in Serie A yet again.

Milan considered extending his loan for another season in the summer. But they opted to look elsewhere due to the costs of the deal. Instead, they took Alessandro Florenzi from Roma – who are now trying to sign Dalot for themselves.

Roma, of course, are coached by former Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho. Mourinho’s desire to work with Dalot again at Roma emerged in September. Now, Il Romanista verify that the 22-year-old features on their shortlist at his request.

Il Romanista believe a deal could be done via a six-month loan with a view to a permanent transfer. Man Utd could receive €3m by lending him to the Giallorossi for the rest of the season.

Then, in the summer, Roma could take Dalot off United’s hands on a permanent basis. It is believed that the total cost would not surpass €10m.

READ MORE: Euro Paper Talk: Solskjaer to weed-out trouble-maker as cut-price replacement is eyed

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