According to reports, Lautaro Martínez became Barcelona’s primary target in May 2019. Barça had just been eliminated from the Champions League semi-finals by Liverpool at Anfield after squandering a 3-0 first-leg lead at Camp Nou.

Two weeks later, the Copa del Rey final against Valencia was held at Benito Villamarín Stadium. However, Luis Suárez decided to undergo surgery on his right knee meniscus to be ready for the Copa América with Uruguay. This decision was poorly received within the club, as sources revealed that Suárez had proceeded without consulting Barcelona’s medical staff.

“We must act for Lautaro because Luis is leaving” was the immediate reaction from Barcelona’s management. With Suárez having only one year left on his contract, the club began planning the transfer for the summer of 2020.

Negotiations to sign the Argentine forward began. Barcelona spent months assessing whether Lautaro would be willing to join the Catalan club. In March, as planning for the next season started, two Barça executives flew to Miami to meet with Lautaro’s agent. There, with talks in the final stages, both parties agreed on contract terms, waiting for Barcelona to finalize the deal with Inter Milan.

Barcelona had allocated a €60 million budget for Lautaro’s transfer, plus any additional income from player sales. However, the meeting held on March 14-15, 2020, in Miami proved fateful. The two Barça representatives had to return immediately as COVID-19 lockdowns and flight restrictions were imposed.

Initially, Barça executives were told the lockdown would last only three weeks, but the situation became far more complicated. With stadium and museum revenues collapsing overnight, Barcelona had to abandon the Lautaro transfer as it was no longer financially feasible.

Meanwhile, another objective—Luis Suárez’s departure—was realized even before the humiliating 8-2 defeat to Bayern Munich in Lisbon. The Uruguayan striker eventually joined Atlético Madrid.

Five years later, Lautaro, now Inter Milan’s undisputed captain and leader with a contract until 2029, will once again seek a path to the Champions League final against Barcelona, unaware of what might have been had COVID-19 not disrupted his move in 2020.