Bidding war may still loom for Mauro Icardi

While likely unable to remove his release clause, Inter Milan could still see a bidding war this summer for out-of-favor striker Mauro Icardi.

Reports suggest both Manchester United and Real Madrid could drive up the price for Icardi despite recent issues with the player.

According to Marca, Real Madrid could file a bid for right around €100 million to snatch up Icardi this summer.

Real Madrid – who are currently 12 points back of Barcelona in La Liga standings – could be on the outs with Welsh international Gareth Bale, especially after Bale’s agent took a crack at Real Madrid fans recently about their treatment of the player.

They may also be parting ways with Frenchman Karim Benzema.

Because of their lackluster play this season following the selling of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus, Real Madrid could be looking for an overhaul in the off-season.

Manchester United is another team who could help drive up the price in Icardi.

One way a deal could work is if the Red Devils would be interested in trading Icardi for Belgian international Romelu Lukaku and cash.

As we have previously reported, Lukaku could be an option for Inter to go after in the off-season as a replacement for Icardi. Manchester United has reportedly set a price on Lukaku of around €50 million, meaning United would likely have to come up with some cash to make the deal work.

Another potentially interested party is Juventus.

As the Old Lady could cut loose of Paulo Dybala in the summer, Icardi could be viewed as a complement to Ronaldo up front. However, the struggle here is whether Inter and Beppe Marotta would be willing to sell Icardi to a rival over another club in Europe.

We also reported that Napoli could offer Icardi a contract worth around €11 million per season, but that deal is a little difficult to swallow considering Napoli’s finances.

So, if there was a fear that Icardi rejecting the removal of his release clause would be detrimental to what the club would get for him in the summer, it appears there could be bidding war giving Inter a cash infusion to find a replacement.

What do you think? Post your comments below!