Their roster is far from complete. This is what their transfer market session is showing, with Inter still looking for at least one defender and one midfielder. But comparing to the last season, the impression is that the Nerazzurri have reduced their gap versus top Scudetto contenders Juventus and Napoli. Indeed, Inter may be considered at the level, or even slight ahead, of the Partenopei in the starting grid.
Inter’s project is clear, and in line with the work done so far by coach Luciano Spalletti. On that note, the Nerazzurri’s management, and especially their Director of Football Piero Ausilio, have been working in two directions. The first open question is related to the need for a versatile midfielder, given that one between Joao Mario and Matias Vecino may potentially leave Milano.
And if Tottenham’s Mousa Dembélé, who was rumored to be close to Napoli first, then Roma and more recently Inter, seems rather willing to remain in London, the name on the top of the Nerazzurri’s wishlist is now Niccolò Barella. A midfielder born in 1997, Barella collected 34 caps and 6 goals last season with Cagliari, and also debuted with the Azzurri. But Barella has been followed by multiple clubs, including Roma, which allegedly made a 23 million euro offer to the Sardinian club. Not enough, President Tommaso Giulini said. He wants at least 35 million.
Given the difficulties in acquiring the Sardinian talent, Ausilio is also concentrating his efforts on an old friend of the Italian Serie A: Arturo Vidal, formerly with Juventus and now on the transfer list of Bayern Munich. The Chilean midfielder, who is looking for a new challenge, showed himself open to join Inter, but negotiations between the two clubs don’t look easy. The Germans don’t want to hear about any offer below 30 million euro, whereas Inter are estimating the 31-year-old midfielder’s value around 20 million.
But if the game to bring a new midfielder at Luciano Spalletti’s court is still open, the deal for transferring right back Sime Vrsaljko from Atlético Madrid to Inter seems about to be confirmed. The agreement should be reached on the Nerazzurri paying 5.5 million euro to get the Croatian defender on loan, and make the deal permanent the following year adding an additional 16.5 million euro.
Should both deals be closed, Spalletti could count on at least two solutions in each key role of his lineup, and have a squad ready to compete on three different fronts – Serie A, Italian Cup, and Champions League. Ausilio’s work has indeed already earned the Milanese side the services of such experienced players as defender Stefan De Vrij from Lazio, offensive midfielder Radja Nainggolan from Roma, and winger Matteo Politano from Sassuolo.
There are only three weeks left before the end of this summer’s transfer market windows, but phone lines at the Nerazzurri’s headquarters in Appiano Gentile must still be on fire.
PURCHASES:
Stefan De Vrij (from Lazio, free agent)
Kwadwo Asamoah (from Juventus, free agent)
Lautaro Martinez (from Racing Avellaneda, 25 million)
Joao Mario (from West Ham, end of loan)
Eddy Salcedo (from Genoa, on loan)
Radja Nainggolan (from Roma, 24 million plus Davide Santon and Nicolò Zaniolo)
Matteo Politano (from Sassuolo, on loan)
SALES:
Joao Cancelo (to Valencia, end of loan)
Rafinha Alcantara (to Barcelona, end of loan)
Lisandro Lopez (to Benfica, end of loan)
Geoffrey Kondogbia (to Valencia, 25 million)
Davide Santon (to Roma, part of Nainggolan’s purchase agreement)
Nicolò Zaniolo (to Roma, part of Nainggolan’s purchase agreement)
Jens Odgaard (to Sassuolo, 5 million)
Jonathan Biabiany (to Parma, 1,5 million)
Federico Dimarco (to Parma, on loan)
Ionut Radu (to Genoa, on loan)
Federico Valietti (to Genoa, on loan)
Yuto Nagatomo (to Galatasaray, 2,5 million)
Rey Manaj (to Albacete, on loan)
Marco Carraro (to Atalanta, on loan)
Samuele Longo (to Huesca, on loan)
Eder (to Jiangsu Suning, 5 million)
ONGOING NEGOTIATIONS:
Mousa Dembélé (Tottenham)
Sime Vrsaljko (Atlético Madrid)
Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich)
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Translated by Matteo Carnevale