There is little question there are some Inter Milan fans not happy about the lack of big deals for the club during the mid-stages of the summer transfer window.
It isn’t that the club hasn’t been linked to some names like Angel Di Maria … and some not-so-big names.
Here’s a look at four deals … either coming or going … that Interisti could see in the coming days:
Ivan Perisic
This is a saga that never seems to end.
Will the Croatian winger go to Manchester United or not? Reports are that he wants to go, but the Nerazzurri have held firm to their high valuation of him. It is a price the Red Devils have been reluctant to pay.
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But, with Jose Mourinho already a little miffed at United’s lack of transfer action this summer … as if getting Romalu Lukaku wasn’t a big enough splash … the Reds’ front office could be sparked to finally cave in to either the price asked or including a player like Anthony Martial in as a sweetener.
This move received a bit of a boost from Inter boss Luciano Spalletti when he hinted to reporters in China that Perisic would be sold if the price was met.
"He is a fantastic player and if his future is totally up to me, I will definitely keep him," Spalletti told a media conference. "However, if an offer comes and the club are satisfied with the money, which will be used to invest in and strengthen the team, he could leave."
If either of those do happen, it won’t take long for Perisic to waive good-bye to Milan and hello to northern England.
Dalbert
Here is a case where Inter is on the opposite side of the deal where they have laid out a price but the responding club may not be happy with the valuation.
The Brazilian left back has expressed an interest in joining the Nerazzurri, but his present club Nice is reluctant to let him go.
Calciomercato.com has suggested Inter has offered €20 million plus bonuses to the younger and he is keen to come to Milan. Inter is still in the process of trying to convince the French side to sell him. Talk is the club is offering €30 million to finish the deal and Nice may be willing to take that for a player whose valuation stands at about €5 million, according to Transfermarkt.com,
Keita Balde
Talk about clubs interested in the 22-year-old forward have centered around West Ham who reportedly offered €32 million for Balde. There has been denial to that being a deal at all.
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According to Lazio club president Claudio Lotito, there has been interest in the forward both not from either Inter Milan or Juventus — another team who has expressed interest in the player.
“I haven’t received offers from Inter or Juventus, but they have come from abroad. If he wants to go, he must get an appropriate bid,” Lotito said.
Last season, Balde scored 16 goals in 31 games and Inter have eyed him as a replacement for Perisic, if in fact Perisic does leave.
This would seem like more likely of a deal, but only if Perisic does leave for Manchester United.
Antonio Candreva
Chelsea has apparently expressed interest in the 30-year-old Italian international of which Candreva said is “nice.”
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However, Candreva has spent just one year with the Nerazzurri after arriving from Lazio last year and said he is content to stay in Milan.
"I'm proud to wear this shirt, I've bought into an important project here and I'm happy to be here," Candreva told reporters. "This shirt has an important history which I honour every time I wear it. The links with Chelsea are nice but there's been absolutely nothing to date. The club will take care of any bids that may come in."
Is this deal possible? Of course, anything is possible, but I am not sure about how strong Chelsea’s interest is in him.
Sure, it’s “nice” to be linked to the Premier League champs, but I’m not sure where Candreva fits into Antonio Conte’s overall plans for the north London club.
Set pieces:
Here are some other potential deals that could activate Inter’s mercato:
- Matias Vecino — Yes, the raid on Fiorentina continues as this deal appears to be pretty much done. Inter will pay his €24 million release clause in two installments and pay the Uruguay international around €2.5 million per season.
- Angel Di Maria — While both Di Maria and Paris Saint-Germain have both stated the 29-year-old is not for sale, Tuttomercatoweb suggests otherwise (and why not?). While Inter’s technical director Walter Sabbatini has a good relationship with Di Maria’s agent Pablo Sabbag, this deal only becomes a slight reality if PSG happens to score Neymar or Alexis Sanchez.
- Arturo Vidal — Here is another to put in the “highly unlikely” column next to Di Maria. Apparently, in a want to provide a big name signing, Inter did offer Bayern Munich upwards of €57 million for the midfielder, of which he rejected out of loyalty to his former club Juventus. Again, like Di Maria, I’m not seeing this one happening.