Inter zeroed in on two names, Josep Martinez, who eventually joined, and Maduka Okoye to deputize Yann Sommer last summer. The Udinese goalie addressed the negotiations with the Nerazzurri in an interview with Transfermarkt (via MSN).
“They were concretely interested, but my team wanted €15M to sell me. We were neck-and-neck at some point, but they did the deal with Genoa in the end. The fact that there was a release clause in his contract surely facilitated the negotiation.”
Inter paid a little less for Martinez right away, €13.5M plus €2M add-ons, than what they would have had to shell out for Okoye. The Udinese star isn’t dwelling on the missed opportunity.
“I’m not sad for not transferring, and I’m happy to continue here. It would have surely been a dream of mine to move to San Siro, but I keep looking ahead. I don’t see myself switching sides in January. I’m focused only on the present at the moment, then we’ll think about when and where to make the next step. My goal is to help the team and the fans to finish as high as possible on the standings.”
Martinez has yet to play for Inter as Sommer has had a stranglehold on the position and has never rested despite the busy schedule, while Okoye has had a solid start, keeping 2 clean sheets, making 25 saves, and allowing 10 goals in the first 7 seven rounds. He had his lone glaring blunder in the match versus the Nerazzurri.
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