A summer of upheaval at Inter has seen the club trim their wage bill after releasing several players with premium salaries. According to Italian news outlet Calcio e Finanza‘s latest update, Hakan Calhanoglu is the highest earner at Giuseppe Meazza.
It’s somewhat unfathomable that the former Milan playmaker trumps the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram. However, to convince him to turn down approaches from Saudi Arabia earlier this summer, Inter offered the 29-year-old a substantial wage package worth €6.5 million net per season.
Calhanoglu’s current deal runs until 2027. Simone Inzaghi’s decision to play the Turkey international deeper in the midfield has made him an invaluable asset for Nerazzurri. But it’s, nonetheless, surprising that the club captain Martinez lags behind the set-piece specialist in the paying order.
Martinez’s contract earns him around €6m net a season. That’s despite his heroics over the years and an astounding start to the season. After netting a match-winning brace against Monza, he sealed Calgiari’s fate in a 2-0 win last weekend. But Inter will soon make amends to the Argentine.
The Italians are reportedly ready to submit a contract offer to extend Martinez’s stay at Meazza. A new deal would include a significant pay raise, especially after Martinez drew a genuine interest from some of Europe’s best clubs.
Marquee summer addition Thuram is on a par with the 26-year-old. That’s hardly a jaw-dropper, considering Inter made a lucrative last-gasp attempt to hijack Milan’s interest in the ex-Borussia Monchengladbach forward.
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