La Liga champions Real Madrid have reportedly identified Inter star Milan Skriniar as one of the potential defensive reinforcements ahead of the January transfer window. After Paris Saint-Germain’s failed attempt to sign the Slovakia international in the summer, Los Merengues are ready to hijack the Frenchmen’s interest, as claimed by Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo.
Skriniar has earned a household status at Inter since swapping Sampdoria for Giuseppe Meazza in 2017. His meteoric rise in Lombardy has turned him into one of the most highly-rated defenders in Europe, let alone Serie A. But while he enjoys high esteem from the Nerazzurri hierarchy, several foreign clubs are keen to lure him away from Italy.
PSG were the most vocal in their bid to capture Skriniar’s services in the summer. They spent most of the transfer window vying for his signature, but Inter never really wanted to give up their headline defender. As such, the Italians played hardball on the 27-year-old’s price tag and eventually blew their French counterparts out of the water.
Though Skriniar’s long-running transfer saga did not end well for the record-time Ligue 1 champions, his future could be away from Inter too. After failing to land a quality defender in the summer, Madrid may launch an assault on the Slovakian should he fail to extend his contract at Meazza.
Inter are reportedly preparing a new contract offer for Skriniar to fend off foreign suitors. The Italians are ready to hand him a substantial €6m-a-year salary to get him to sign the papers. But after blowing up his €9m-a-year arrangement with PSG, they may have to improve that bid.
Madrid are lurking in the shadows, and Inter would be better off putting a more lucrative proposal soon enough. Skriniar is currently away on international duty with Slovakia. But the extension talks may kickstart as soon as he gets back to Italy.