Barcelona “fear” the interest coming from the likes of Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid in their pursuit of Inter striker Lautaro Martinez, according to ESPN.

The La Liga champions are keen to sign the Argentinian international but they are reluctant to pay his €111m (£98m) release clause.

Inter have so far turned down advances from Barca that involve a part-exchange offer, using players in the deal, and that could lead to a team like United gazumping them if they are not careful.

ESPN report the Red Devils are genuinely interested in Martinez but feel Barca are the frontrunners with the player keen on a move to Spain.

United are looking to improve their frontline this summer as they look to bridge the gap to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City but their focus is said to be on signing Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho.

If Barcelona’s protracted negotiations for Martinez do collapse, though, United’s stance on signing the 22-year-old could change.