Inter president Steven Zhang landed in Milan yesterday after a seven-month absence caused by the COVID-19 traveling restrictions. He will have his hands full during his stay as he will try to provide some direction on multiple fronts.
The club is set to receive a €200/250M loan from either Bain Capital or Oaktree to take care of the short-term deadlines, especially the salaries. The operation will be conducted through the Great Horizon holding and will not weigh directly on the debts of the side, Calcio e Finanza reports. The 69 percent share of the team owned by Suning will be used as collateral, similarly to what Yonghong Li did with Milan and Elliott back in the day.
On the sporting side, Zhang will reassure Antonio Conte that they plan to stay on top after winning the title. He will guarantee that their best players, in particular Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez, Achraf Hakimi, Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolò Barella will not be sold, Gazzetta dello Sport reports. However, the budget for the upcoming window will be limited and bankrolled by sales of Joao Mario, Valentino Lazaro, Dalbert, Radja Nainggolan, currently on loan elsewhere, maybe Arturo Vidal, Quotidiano Sportivo informs.
The coach’s contract expires in 2022, and elite managers usually do not start the season as so-called lame ducks. The whole front office is in a similar spot. Few players are also looking for new deals, but it will be challenging to pull them off while also keeping the payroll in check. Marcelo Brozovic, Stefan De Vrij and Lautaro Martinez are the most pressing cases, Gazzetta dello Sport indicates.
The chairman will also meet with Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala to unlock the new stadium as the politician asked for clarity about the future of Inter to allow the project to move forward, Corriere della Sera reports.