Joan Laporta has confirmed Barcelona tried to sign Lautaro Martínez this summer but quickly gave up once it became apparent Inter Milan would not allow the striker to leave.
The Spanish champions spent the transfer window trying to sign a No.9, turning their attention to Martínez after failing to land Atlético Madrid's Julián Álvarez.
However, after reaching out to Inter CEO Giuseppe Marotta, Laporta realised a deal for the Argentina international would not be possible either, with Barça eventually signing Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal.
"One day I called Marotta," the Barça chief told Corriere della Sera. "It was he and I on the call -- no intermediaries -- and I told him I would have loved to have Lautaro on my team because I admire the guy so much.
"But Marotta didn't even let me finish speaking. He made it clear Lautaro wasn't for sale and that it wouldn't be up to the player to decide whether or not to move. So I stopped the whole line of thought. There was no way to take it any further."
Following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres in the post-season, Barça were keen to bolster their attack with a new striker.
But despite signing Jesus on the final day of the transfer window, the solution has come in-house, with Raphinha being converted into a No.9 at the start of the new campaign.
The Brazil forward has quickly adapted to his new position, scoring 14 goals in eight appearances, including back-to-back LaLiga hat tricks before the international break.
It is not the first time Barça have tried to sign Martínez, who was also a target in 2020 when they were looking to replace Luis Suárez.
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Speaking earlier in September, Martínez said it was an "honour and a source of immense satisfaction" to be linked to clubs like Barça, but pledged his future to Inter.
Martínez, who has four goals in four Serie A games this season, has a contract with the club until 2029.
Since signing for the Italian giants from Racing Club in 2018, he has netted 179 goals in 381 appearances, winning three Scudettos, three Coppas Italia and reaching two Champions League finals.