Inter striker Lautaro Martínez signed a new contract on Thursday, leaving the Argentine to be tied with the Serie A champion until June 2026.
The extension is a declaration of intent by the Milan club after a turbulent summer, in which coach Antonio Conte left, upset that his champion team could not be strengthened. The Nerazzurri also sold two of their best players, forward Romelu Lukaku and full-back Achraf Hakimi.
“I am very happy to be with this club and stay so long,” said the Argentine in a video posted by the team on social media. “See you at the stadium! Inter Force! “
Martínez has scored 54 goals in 144 meetings with Inter. The 24-year-old forward, also a fixture on the Argentina national team, has scored five goals in nine league games this season.
Also on Thursday, the 2020-21 fiscal year results were approved by shareholders at a meeting. Inter reported a record loss of 245.6 million euros ($ 285 million) – the most of any Serie A club – last month.
The owner of Inter, the Chinese retail giant Suning, has been hit by the impact of the pandemic and shut down his club’s operations in China. Worse, Inter president Steven Zhang took advantage of his speech at the assembly to deny that they are seeking to get rid of the Serie A team.
“Over the last year there have been many rumors that have circulated about the club and the commitment of the owners. However, all those rumors are far from the truth, ”Zhang said. “We are Inter and, one of the most important clubs in Europe, and as such, we are perfectly aware that we are always in the spotlight, so rumors will always splatter us, there will always be false speculations with no foundation. .
“We are proud to be the first foreign-owned club to win a league title, to bring happiness to our fans,” he added. “This great triumph is the crown to the vision, commitment and resources that we have dedicated to the club since we arrived five years ago. We made the impossible possible ”.
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