Report: Inter keeping tabs on Andrea Colpani

Inter’s season is still in full swing and we’re yet to even reach December, but the winter transfer rumor mill is already churning. The Nerazzurri have been linked to Monza man Andrea Colpani for a potential January move. The 24-year-old has been in red-hot form this season after three years as a solid contributor for the Biancorossi, going on to receive his first Italian national team call-up and catching the eye of the big clubs on the peninsula, Inter included.

Monza reportedly want €20 million for their attacking midfielder, perhaps a fee that could be lowered through youth players (such as Valentin Carboni who’s currently on loan there) or Stefano Sensi (who spent the last year there). Juventus, however, is also keeping tabs on Colpani, so it won’t be a straightforward deal.

He certainly seems worth the fuss, though, currently at 6 goals and 1 assist and leading Monza to a very solid 9th place through 12 appearances - all starts. His expected goals tally, however, is just at 2.0xg, so these numbers may not be sustainable. Nonetheless, the quality is certainly there, even if there’s still room to grow. According to fbref he ranks very highly in goals scored and shots and is above average in passes, key passes, and shot-creating actions, although his defensive numbers are poor.

There’s also some question as to how Colpani would fit into Inter’s 3-5-2. Here’s his season heat-map via sofascore.

sofascore.com

As you can see, he’s generally active quite advanced on the right of Monza 3-4-3 as an attacking midfielder. There is no direct equivalent in Simone Inzaghi’s system, but Colpani has a few options. For one, he experience at center mid and could be molded into an attacking number 8, filling in for Henrikh Mkhitaryan or Nicolo Barella. The other is he fully embraces the attacking side of his game and fits in as a second striker up top, as some expected Lazar Samardzic to do.

At the end of the day, though, this is a very talented, young Italian player that has a bright future ahead of him, and even better if it’s at Inter. The Nerazzurri do have a few more pressing needs to focus on in the winter market, but if the opportunity is there to snag Colpani, Beppe Marotta and Co. should take it.

What’s your take on Inter’s reported transfer-target? Is he worth the price? Let us know in the comments below.