Inter want to offer Lautaro a long-term contract

At 28 years old and preparing to play in his second World Cup with Argentina, Lautaro Martínez is gaining more and more clarity about the path he wants to follow until the end of his professional career.

The striker is at the peak of his footballing maturity and has consolidated himself as the undisputed leader at Inter, where he holds the captain’s armband, is the team’s point of reference and the team’s top scorer.

Although his current contract runs until July 2029, when he will be close to 32 years old, there is already talk within the club of something much more ambitious than a standard renewal.

Inter want to ensure that “El Toro” becomes a symbol for generations – a player linked to the club until the day he hangs up his boots.

According to reports from InterNews, the club’s management plan to open talks within the next 12 to 18 months to offer Lautaro a permanent, long-term extension, designed to cover the final phase of his career.

This strategy inevitably brings comparisons to Javier Zanetti, the club’s current vice-president, who spent 19 seasons with Inter before retiring in 2014.

This parallelism is not accidental. Within the club, Lautaro is seen not only as a star on the pitch, but also as an institutional figure – a player with deep loyalty and a strong connection to the black and blue identity.

Since joining Inter in 2018, Lautaro Martínez has made 355 official appearances, scoring 165 goals and providing 53 assists, winning seven trophies, all at national level.

This season alone, he has played 20 games, scored 12 goals and added 3 assists in 1,480 minutes of play, maintaining a consistently elite level.

Matching Zanetti’s longevity would be a monumental challenge, requiring Lautaro to remain at the highest European level until he is close to 40 years old.

However, Inter believe that his competitive mentality makes such a career path a realistic possibility.

Amid recent criticism that has questioned his impact on the biggest matches, Javier Zanetti has come out in public to defend his captain.

“The criticism of Lautaro is absurd. We are talking about our captain – someone who always gives everything and has a great sense of belonging,” said the former club icon.

Beyond the speculation and future scenarios, Inter’s message is clear. Lautaro Martínez is not just the club’s present – ??he is the player they want to build a long-term legacy on, right down to the end.