Davide Santon transfer falls apart for a third time

For the third time this summer Davide Santon has had a transfer away from Inter agreed to. For the third time this summer Davide Santon has flown out to his presumptive new club for a medical. For the third time this summer Davide Santon has seen his move collapse at the last second.

First he was supposed to move to Sunderland but that ended when they tried to insert a clause allowing them to cut his wages if the team got relegated. Then he was all set for Napoli when Aurelio De Laurentiis rejected the move because he didn’t fit the club president’s criteria (not the manager’s criteria but the president’s), though there were contrary reports indicating a problem with Santon’s knee was the real issue. Finally he agreed to a move to West Ham United for a €600,000 loan with an option to buy for an additional €6m. He flew out for the medical and now Sky Sports News is reporting that the deal is off because the fullback failed the second part of his medical examination.

It is unclear at this time what exactly the problem was (though it is likely that same knee issue from before) but for now 25 year old will return to Inter yet again for assessment. It is hard to imagine that the Italian will find a 4th club willing to take a chance on him, and he might just have to stick around and fight for a place in Roberto Mancini’s side.