Inter Milan moving for Sime Vrsaljko

Inter Milan boss Luciano Spalletti is reportedly pushing management to sign Croatia international and Atletico Madrid star Sime Vrsaljko.

Football Italia reports that as Inter continue looking for a right back, Vrsaljko has emerged as the top candidate.

Of course, the issue is the deal structure.

Atletico Madrid is seeking either a full purchase or a loan deal with a mandatory purchase option. Inter, on the other hand, is willing to do a loan deal — as an outright purchase could hurt Financial Fair Play rules — with an option to buy, not a mandatory purchase clause.

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Inter is offering a loan fee of €6 million which would pretty much lock in the Beneamata into a purchase deal because that is a lot to spend without making the deal permanent.

Both teams have reportedly agreed to a €25 million valuation for the Croatian, but it is the specific structure that may hold up any deal.

Vrsaljko would be a solid addition to Inter on the right side. His impressive play during Croatia’s run to the World Cup title match only increased his value.

He joined the Spanish club from Sassuolo in 2016. In his 25 appearances in La Liga, Vrsaljko has four assists. He played in 79 matches for both Genoa and Sassuolo prior to joining Atletico Madrid. In that time, he amassed a total of 10 assists.

He also brings European football experience to the table as he played in four Europa League matches last season for Atletico, leading them to the tournament title. That moved the team into the Champions League where Vrsaljko played in one match during Atletico’s group stage run.

Vrsaljko is likely the best right back on the market now for Inter although the club is looking at other options.

Now, as Vrsaljko takes a break after the World Cup, Inter management appears content to wait for him to decide whether he finds the club’s terms acceptable. If that is the case, it could push Atletico into making a deal happen.

Mario to Wolverhampton

News in England has ramped up over Inter castoff Joao Mario moving to Wolverhampton on a loan deal.

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According to the Birmingham Mail, Inter is looking to send Mario to Molineux for a season before joining Wolves on a permanent basis. The clause for the deal is valued at approximately €30 million.

Mario spent the second half of last season on loan to West Ham United where he had mixed results. While the club was able to stave off relegation, Mario’s performance was less than stellar.

Mario did play in all of Portugal’s matches during the World Cup — until the team was knocked out by Uruguay in the first knockout round.

Wolverhampton does have an inside track to Mario as their manager, Nuno Espirito Santo is from Portugal and could immediately help Mario with his transition to the Premier League.

If he were to join Wolves, Mario would be the eighth player on the team to hail from Portugal.

Mario has made no secret about his desire to not return to Serie A or Inter, of which is appears Inter management is more than willing to oblige.

All I can say is the quicker a deal to ship Mario off the better. He failed to live up to expectations when joining Inter following a strong showing at the European championship for Portugal. He lost the faith of Spalletti who took him out of the starting XI and prompted the move to West Ham.

The Hammers, on the other hand, have made little notion of signing Mario to a long-term deal, thus why Wolverhamption emerging as a likely target.

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