Official: Inter snap up Gianluca Caprari from Pescara

After Erkin, Banega and Ansaldi, Inter have secured their fourth signing of the summer, and we've only just reached July. What's more, this one is both young and Italian, which is practically unheard of for us in the 21st century.

The man in question is Gianluca Caprari, a 22 year-old forward who came through Roma's youth academy but now plays for Pescara, and has just enjoyed by far the best season of his career so far as the Delfini were promoted back into Serie A. Over the last six months, Juventus, Napoli and Fiorentina have all shown a strong interest in him - along with his partner in crime Gianluca Lapadula, who has signed for Milan - but when push came to shove it was Inter who came out on top, making the decisive move to secure the services of one of Italy's brightest young(-ish) talents.

After a couple of difficult seasons plagued by both physical and psychological inconsistency, Caprari was one of four players in Serie B this season to reach double figures in both goals and assists (13 goals and 12 assists), demonstrating all the exceptional talent that made him an integral part of Roma's Scudetto-winning Primavera team in 2010-11. Capable of playing in all positions across the attack but getting most joy as a left-winger, where he can either cut inside to use his lethal right foot or link up with his centre-forward (this year Lapadula), his footballing ability has never been in doubt, but what has seen him take off so spectacularly over the last 12 months are the large strides he has made mentally.

Caprari appears to have got on top of the fiery personality that rendered him inconsistent for so long and often attracted criticism from Pescara supporters - demonstrated perfectly in the bizarre series of events that followed his first goal of the season just gone against Perugia, where in the end he had to be calmed down by his team-mates after shushing everyone in the stands - which is why he would now appear to be ready for the step up to a 'big club' such as Inter.

However this is an investment that has been made for the future, as Caprari will spend the following season back on loan at Pescara, before arriving properly at Inter for the 2017-18 season. Massimo Oddo was very keen to keep hold of as many men that helped them achieve promotion as possible, so as to give them as good a chance of possible of staying up, but it also suits Inter to give the player a chance to prove himself in Serie A (he's only scored 2 goals in the top flight, way back in the 2012-13 season). It's a good signing for the future though.

"Today is a special day", Caprari wrote on his official Twitter account. Having the consideration and faith of a club like Inter excites me and fills me with pride. I'm happy and enthusiastic to remain part of this big family at Pescara and continue to wear this shirt. Next year I will give my all to earn myself a starting place, as well as to earn the affection of the fans and repay the faith Inter have shown in me."

The deal itself is three-fold: Caprari has been signed for approximately €5m but loaned straight back to Pescara for the coming season, with Cristiano Biraghi moving in the same direction on a permanent basis and Rey Manaj also heading there on loan. George Puscas was also linked with a move, but in the end the Delfini opted for the Albanian.

Good luck at Pescara this season Gianluca, and we'll see you in 12 months! (Oh, and please try not to score against us in the meantime...)