Report: Inter Agree Terms With Edin Dzeko

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Edin Dzeko to Inter. The Bosnian striker, heavily admired by Antonio Conte, has been linked with Inter almost constantly in recent years as a Romelu Lukaku backup. But ironically, it took both of those two to leave Milan for the path to clear for the Roma striker’s arrival. After news broke yesterday, Dzeko’s Inter-move has moved beyond rumor territory and into “personal terms agreed” land according to Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sport Italia.

The 35-year-old has agreed to a two-year deal with Inter and all that’s left is for the Nerazzurri and Roma to settle on a transfer fee. The Giallorossi aren’t likely to force Inter to pay a huge amount with his contract expiring next summer. Roma also wouldn’t mind taking aging and declining Dzeko’s hefty wages off its books as the roster is shaped for Jose Mourinho’s liking. The Bosnian found the back of the net only seven times last season, compared to tallies of 16, 9, 16, and 29 in the preceding years. The down campaign wasn’t entirely Dzeko’s fault, however. He fell out with then-coach Paulo Fonseca and was stripped of the captain’s armband midseason, playing only 1,824 minutes of action throughout the year. Dzeko seemed to have a bigger role lined up for himself under Mourinho, making this round of rumors somewhat surprising.

Only somewhat, though, since Inter now has a bit of money to play with and a clear need at striker after Romelu Lukaku’s sale. A two-year contract for a 35-year-old is a risk but Simone Inzaghi will be hoping last year was just a blimp for Dzeko and he’ll bounce back to pre-2020 levels. Inter is still planning on signing at least one other forward in addition to Dzeko, so he won’t be a week-in-week-out starter. There are worse depth options than the 35-year-old and if his minutes are carefully managed Dzeko has the quality to make an impact as super-sub or spot-starter against weaker teams.