With the potential onboarding of Andre Onana from Ajax – albeit the recent comments regarding his affection for boyhood club Barcelona – Inter have a task on their hands to offload Slovenian veteran captain Samir Handanovic, who has proven extremely instrumental in the Nerazzurri’s recent successes.
Handanovic has the highest save percentage out of goalkeepers who have played at least 3 games in Serie A this season at 77.9% ⚫️??
? via Opta pic.twitter.com/5aWyZNCf8S
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) December 23, 2021
Even so, Inter will first ask the club captain if he’s comfortable with a reserve role, as a second choice, since the Nerazzurri have long been in the market for a young goalkeeper.
Recent developments, according to Calciomercato, relay that Handanovic has reportedly been offered to Lazio by agent Fali Ramadani, during the representative’s talk with Biancocelesti sporting director Igli Tare – a meeting that was preimarily held regarding the possible move for Hellas Verona striker Nikola Kalinic.
Samir Handanovic is Serie A’s top shot-stopper so far!
[via @Soccerment_Blog] pic.twitter.com/YHreCZbdfJ
— Inter Xtra (@Inter_Xtra) December 24, 2021
Lazio already have Pepe Reina in their ranks, who has so far been juggling game time with Alabanian goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha this season. Reina, 40, whose contract also expires at the end of the current season, might just end up renewing for an extra year with Lazio. However, that is, if the capital club qualify for Europe next season.
The report mentions of the 37-year-old maestro’s intention to continue as a starter, if not at Lazio, elsewhere.
The Slovenian legend has spent most of his life in Serie A – with Rimini, Treviso, Udinese and even one season with Lazio, where he managed to notch in just one appearance – a clean sheet against Parma in the last matchday of the 2005/06 season.
He has 414 caps for the Nerazzurri and 534 overall Serie A appearances, with 193 clean sheets – the fifth highest ever and just one below fellow Inter legend Gianluca Pagliuca.