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Now that the Nerazzurri have made their first splash on the transfer market by unloading Éver Banega to Sevilla, apparently now they are ready to start bringing in players.
Several media outlets reported Enrico Preziosi, Genoa club president have confirmed Inter Milan is close to dropping €60 million on teenagers Pietro Pellegri and Eddy Salcedo Mora. Pellegri is a 16-year-old striker whom the Nerazzurri are potentially paying €15 million for plus another €15 million in bonuses depending on appearances.
The youngster has represented Italy at U-15, U-16 and U-17 levels.
Mora will turn 16 on Oct. 1 and has not played professionally. Reports are Inter will pay €5 million with another €25 million in bonuses based on future games played.
“Is the deal done with Inter? It’s more yes than no.
“Is it too expensive? I could reply by asking how much the other players are worth and they were paid hundreds of millions. Everyone finds values in certain negotiations that seem congruous.
“There’s a lot of talk in football, but then we need to see if the full fee with bonuses is reached. When we’re talking about a player like Pellegri who has certain characteristics, he can be of interest not just to Inter or Roma, but also to other squads at international level.
“Recently Real Madrid paid €45m just for Vinicius at age 16, so what are we complaining about?”
- Enrico Preziosi to Ansa
According to Gianluca Di Marzio’s website, both teenagers will remain on loan at Marassi for two years and will not be able to sign a professional contract until he reaches the age of 18.
Another part of the deal is Genoa may sign at least one Inter Milan player. Based on potential wages, those players could be Senna Miangue, Jonathan Biabiany or George Puscas, according to reports.
Now, all of this leads me to really wonder the motive behind this kind of a deal. It seems to be an awful lot of money to bet on what may be. It’s a 50/50 shot either of these two work out in the next two years.
If they are locked up for two years and on loan for that time, when will Inter see any payoff? Is this just an investment in what could be? The bonuses would be tied to attendance both at Genoa and Inter. Just like speculating, those bonuses will be difficult to collect for the teen prospects.