Over the past several weeks, Inter have been one of the main topics within the headlines across Italian media as a result of their inconsistent run of form. Despite their underwhelming displays on the pitch, the Nerazzurri managed to triumph over Porto in a 1-0 victory at the San Siro in the Round of 16 of the Champions League as Romelu Lukaku buried the ball past Diogo Costa in the 87th minute to obtain a vital advantage.
In addition, it seems that the Beneamata are open to offloading midfielder Marcelo Brozovic next season due to his high wages at the age of the 30 years old, as well as Dutchman Denzel Dumfries as methods in order to cut down their expenses and gain financial resources that will enable the club to reach their financial objectives.
Furthermore, the futures of star players Alessandro Bastoni and Hakan Çalhanoğlu are in slight doubt as both players’ contracts are set to expire in the summer of 2024. Consequently, Inter will be forced to sell one of the two, or even both, within the next transfer window if contract negotiations collapse in order to ensure that a situation similar to Milan Skriniar departing to PSG on a free transfer does not recur.
With plenty of news and speculation revolving around the Nerazzurri circulating all over the Italian media news outlets, Get Italian Football News had Inter journalist Simone Togna exclusively provide his insight on the sequence of events occurring within the Inter camp.
Togna was first asked to give his point of view regarding Inter’s performance against Porto, as well as the significance of the victory given their lackluster run of form within recent period:
He said:”Inter played well against Porto and the Nerazzurri deserved the victory. However, the trip to the Estádio do Dragão will be a very difficult battle. About the match, Inter had to score more goals given the opportunities they had in front of goal. Champions League itself is a tournament that is all about fine details. That’s why you must have a perfect defensive structure and play with full confidence. Also, thanks to Onana’s fantastic performance Inter were able to hold on to the very end so you have to give him an applause.”
In addition, Togna was also asked about Marcelo Brozović potentially being offloaded next season and whether Inter have identified any targets other than former Milan midfielder Franck Kessié. He explained:
“Brozovic wants to stay at Inter and Inter hope that Marcelo Brozovic remains in Milano next season. However, if someone makes a good offer, everything could change. In this moment Kessie to Inter is more of an intermediary discussion rather than Inter’s idea. With Kessié not having a good season in Barcelona and he earning a lot of money, Barcelona are open to tipping him towards the exit.
“If Brozovic leaves, Inter will need a highly skilled midfielder, which is why they have been attracted to Kessié. Also, Brozovic’s skill-set fits very well within Barcelona’s philosophy, so this is the reason why the rumours went in that specific direction. If Inter were to sell Brozovic in the summer, I think the best thing to do would be to give to Asllani the opportunity to play and grow.”
Moreover, Togna was asked about the great deal of interest from the Premier League in Denzel Dumfries and whether Inter have found an ideal replacement within the right wing-back role if he were to change club next season:
“Inter have many options as they have a plan A, B, C, D and so on. There are a lot of players within the market that Inter do like and could pursue, but everything depends on the price of Dumfries, if he were to be sold next season, and whether or not the Nerazzurri can sign Bellanova on a permanent deal.”
Finally, the Get Italian Football News team asked Togna about the futures of Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Alessandro Bastoni at Inter and whether the club has commenced the contract extension talks:
“As it stands, Bastoni and Çalhanoğlu both want to stay at Inter beyond their contract expiration. However, they both want to stay with a commiserate salary that is aligned with their importance at the club. With the Turkish international, it seems that the negotiations are going well and that both parties could reach an agreement soon. With Alessandro, there is a distance at this moment within the negotiations between the club and the player’s demands.”
Julian Faustini Ι GIFN
