Inter Milan’s challenges at right back

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing Inter Milan during the summer mercato is finding a quality right back.

After losing out on Joao Cancelo to Juventus, the Nerazzurri have struggled to find quality that doesn’t come with such a hefty price tag.

But, there are some options out there for the team to explore. Here are a few:

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Sime Vrsaljko

The Croatian international in the throngs of the World Cup at present and Inter may have an in because of Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic.

According to FCInterNews.it, Internazionale have advanced a loan deal with an obligation to purchase for the Atletico Madrid player.

Terms of the deal as reported are a €7 million loan deal with a €15 million purchase obligation option.

The issue is that Atletico are looking to sell Vrsaljko outright but Inter is not wanting to run afoul of Financial Fair Play, so a loan deal is the best option.

As a player, Vrsaljko has Serie A experience as he once played for Sassuolo. Last season, he played in 29 matches for Atletico and had five assists across all competitions. He has experience in Europe after playing in the Europa League and Champions League with Atletico this past season.

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Alessandro Florenzi

The former Italian international has spent his entire career in Serie A, most recently for AS Roma.

Last season, Florenzi played in 42 matches in Serie A and the Champions League, netting a goal and four assists during that time.

Presently, he is in the midst of a contract negotiation with Roma which appear to be going nowhere as those talks have reportedly stalled.

Hey, Nainggolan, little help here.

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Aleix Vidal

Vidal has absolutely no Serie A experience — not that that is a disqualifier by any means. But, the Barcelona right back suffered an ankle injury and sat out a good bit of Barcelona’s matches last season.

However, when he did play he had a pair of goals and four assists in his 25 matches across all competitions. He did manage four matches in the Champions League, but only started four matches for Barca during the La Liga season.

Talk suggests he is being targeted by Roma as their talks with Florenzi have fizzled, however Inter has shown interest.

Vidal would be a cheaper option for Inter as his rate is around €10 million, of which the Nerazzurri could purchase outright.

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Davide Zappacosta

The Italian spent most of his career in Serie A until 2017 when Torino sold him to Premier League side Chelsea. As the Blues’ managerial situation remains influx, Zappacosta’s future remains in the air.

Last season, Zappacosta played in 38 matches for Chelsea, scoring a pair of goals and adding two assists.

As recent as the end of June, he said he planned to stay in London next year, regardless of who the manager for Chelsea was. However, his play last season and with the Italian national team was lackluster.

The problem here, again, is money. A price tag of €25 million would mean Inter would have to look at a loan-purchase agreement and it seems that Chelsea may not be interested in that as they try to clear out underperforming players.

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Bartosz Bereszynski

The Polish international has World Cup credentials — albeit not good as Poland failed to make it out of the group stage — and is currently with Sampdoria.

Last season, he played in 31 Serie A matches for Sampdoria, but had just one assist to his sheet. Toward the end of the season, he was hampered slightly with an ankle and muscle injury as well as a yellow card suspension.

His market value, however, did shoot up this year to around €10.8 million, still making him affordable for Inter. But, Bereszynski would be most likely a last resort for Inter if nothing else pans out.

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