Lautaro Martinez is one of the hottest prospects currently available on the market.

Back in November, Italian media outlet Calciomercato released a story stating that Manchester City, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona could all be set to battle for the 22-year-old’s coveted signature.

And looking at his profile, it’s easy to see why.

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After all, the Argentinian forward has scored five goals in six Champions League clashes, adding in another assist on the side as well.

Needless to say, with Sergio Aguero edging towards the twilight of his career, Pep Guardiola could use someone fresh and hungry to give his squad some much-needed depth.

The same can be said for Barcelona and their situation with Luis Suarez.

But what do those who know Martinez best say about his abilities?

Let’s find out…

Eric Abidal, Barcelona’s sporting director

The Catalans are seemingly not really hiding their interest in this Argentinian talent and Abidal, their former star and current sporting director, has recently spoken highly of the player.

He stated that Martinez is already complete and that Barcelona are very much aware of his qualities.

Here’s what he said to Mundo Deportivo (via Football Italia):

“He [Martinez] is a complete player. I think he’s playing at a very good level. He is a player we are aware of and we know of his quality, but there are also other players with these same characteristics.”

Dan Edwards, Buenos Aires journalist

Edwards has been watching Martinez for many years now and he certainly knows almost everything there is to know about the 22-year-old forward.

And more importantly, he seems to be a huge fan of Inter Milan’s young striker as he believes his talent was plain to see ever since the very beginning of his career.

Here’s what he had to say about Martinez, as per Sky Sports:

“Lautaro Martinez’s talent has been plain to see ever since he first broke through to the Racing first team. What really stands out, though, is the 20-year-old’s incredible mental strength.

“For Lautaro there are no tell-tale signs of resignation, slumped shoulders and eyes pinned to the floor, when a good chance goes awry. He fumes, he pouts, he berates himself, he jumps straight back up, doubly determined to hit the net next time – a single-mindedness that instantly recalls a certain Real Madrid striker.

“While Martinez is of course far from reaching those kind of levels, his hunger to score and, even more importantly, keep improving game on game gives him a mental edge which is extremely rare in a kid of his age with the world at his feet.”

Facundo Sava, former Racing manager and ex-Fulham player

Sava is another one of the former players and coaches in line who are completely amazed by Martinez’s ability.

What the former Racing gaffer feels he does best, however, is of course score goals. He even called him a beast, highlighting his impressive physique and force with which he plays.

He said, as quoted by Sky Sports:

“He has goals on his mind and not everyone has that. That comes from birth. He is a beast, he has a physique and force that blows you away.”

Verdict

Martinez certainly looks like a player that could slide right into Manchester City’s team and could offer a good and reliable replacement for Aguero further down the line.

But Guardiola is not really the only one eyeing the young forward, as we’ve seen above, and it will be interesting to see who ends up winning the race for his signature.