Lautaro Martinez has confirmed Barcelona made an approach for him during the summer transfer window, but the Argentina forward decided to remain with Inter because he is happy at the club and wants to continue pursuing major honours at San Siro.
Barcelona were looking for attacking reinforcements after Robert Lewandowski left the club this summer. They subsequently signed Gabriel Jesus before the transfer window closed, but Martinez revealed that discussions over a possible move had taken place in recent months.
"When these offers and calls come in, it is always a pleasure, because you work to stay at the top. The rumours were true, but I am very clear about my ideas: I wanted to stay here with my teammates and with these magnificent fans," Martinez told Sky Italia.
The 28-year-old has made 378 appearances for Inter since joining from Racing Club in 2018, scoring 175 goals. That record makes him the third-highest scorer in the club's history, behind Giuseppe Meazza on 284 goals and Alessandro Altobelli on 209.
Martinez, a World Cup winner with Argentina, scored 17 goals and provided six assists for the Italian champions last season. His form once again attracted interest from leading clubs across Europe, including Barcelona.
Despite that attention, Martinez said he had no intention of forcing a move away from Inter and expressed his willingness to remain at the club for as long as he is wanted.
"I would stay forever and, as long as they want me, I will stay here. But in this job we already know how it is: when you are no longer useful, they throw you out.
"Inter means everything to me: pride, happiness, and the desire to keep moving forward. I have chosen to stay here again, I want to do great things at Inter.
"I never imagined reaching this point in my career with Inter, achieving all my goals. This motivates me to keep moving forward; it's my mentality. I try to give my all in every training session."
Martinez has enjoyed a successful spell in Italy since arriving from Racing Club, developing into one of Inter's most important players and one of the club's most prolific goalscorers.
He acknowledged that football can change quickly, but said his current situation had made staying the clear choice.
"In football, you never know what is going to happen, but today I have a contract and I am happy. I decided to stay because I feel good and I want to achieve great things at Inter."
Martinez will lead Inter's attack when they face Napoli at San Siro on Saturday evening. Barcelona are expected to continue monitoring the forward, even though his latest comments underline his desire to remain with the Italian club.