Inter CEO Beppe Marotta has confirmed his side’s interest in recruiting the Premier League duo Hector Bellerin and Alex Telles. After lifting the Serie A crown this past season, the Nerazzurri sold Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain and are actively looking to inject fresh blood to wide areas.
Bellerin, who seems to be on the verge of quitting Arsenal after eight years, is among the top candidates to replace Hakimi. The 26-year-old is in the final year of his contract at the Emirates Stadium, and he has already reached out to the Gunners hierarchy to try to accelerate his move to Inter.
Arsenal are open to selling Bellerin this summer. The Spaniard’s impact has dwindled over the past couple of seasons due to several long-term injuries, and a summer break-up is well on the cards. His pace and tireless runs down the right flank make him a good fit for Hakimi’s successor at the Giuseppe Meazza.
In addition to Bellerin, Inter are also exploring the possibility of bringing Telles back to Lombardy. The Brazilian left-back, who is currently under contract at Manchester United, spent the 2015/16 season on loan with the Nerazzurri but failed to convince the Giuseppe Meazza powerbrokers to hand him a permanent contract.
Telles joined United from Porto for a fee of €18million last summer. However, the 28-year-old’s arrival coincided with Luke Shaw’s notable upturn in form, which saw the ex-Galatasaray man relegated to playing second fiddle to the Englishman last season.
Despite a lack of game time at Old Trafford, Telles demonstrated his attacking qualities when called into action, posing a genuine threat from the left flank when moving forward.
Marotta has now confirmed Inter’s interest in the full-back duo as the reigning Serie A champions look to step up their transfer activity.
“Bellerin is a player we are following, but he is not our player, so I cannot say any more on that as it would be disrespectful to do so,” he told Sky Italia.
When asked about Inter’s interest in acquiring Telles, Marotta replied: “I’m not ruling anything out – in football, anything can happen. Right now we are focused on evaluating all the opportunities.”