The Frenchman releases himself from United and is a dossier on the Nerazzurri table. The priority remains Gudmundsson, but first we need to raise cash with sales
Journalist
7 April 2024 (modified at 6.53pm) – MILAN
There is another path for Inter’s attack. And it bears the name of Anthony Martial. He almost seems like an old friend, a dated acquaintance, because it is certainly not the first time that his profile has been compared to the Nerazzurri club. This time it goes like this: Martial’s contract expires in June, the agreement with Manchester United will not be renewed and therefore he is already free today to sign for another team. He has been proposed to Inter and the evaluations are underway. Evaluations of all kinds, evidently, including those relating to a continuity of performance which in recent seasons has not been his strong point.
the ball
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Martial joins Gudmundsson, that’s clear. One name excludes the other, it is unthinkable that Inter would add two more names to an attack that already includes the addition of Taremi for next season. The French costs nothing, the Icelandic is worth an investment but certainly brings with it fewer questions in terms of performance. But Inter and the Nerazzurri technical area have liked Martial for years: the Nerazzurri have thought about it several times. The last time it also happened last winter, when the possibility of a purchase in the offensive department was evaluated. And at the same time the attacker seemed to be leaving the English club immediately, without waiting until next June. Now the possibility arises again. Martial has a market, despite coming from negative seasons, and therefore wants to evaluate all the possibilities on the table. He has at least three: Fenerbahce and two top-tier French clubs. Inter, for their part, must understand in the meantime whether their number one target, Gudmundsson, remains viable or whether the Premier League’s interest risks breaking the bank.
the weather
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At the moment, it would seem not. Because the Nerazzurri club continues to work on the Icelandic player from Genoa. It has done so in recent weeks also by asking for time: having received the player’s approval and understood his preference given to the Italian championship rather than other foreign tournaments, the Nerazzurri managers must first find a way to construct an offer of 30 million total euros. Time is not running out at the moment. It’s not infinite, but Inter have understood that they have a bit of margin. The next few weeks, those leading up to the end of the season, will be decisive.
the cash register
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Decisive, of course, because the Inter market will be a puzzle to be put together. And the available budget, given that the managers have the mandate to close the summer session in balance, will inevitably depend on the transfers. Inter have every intention of protecting the big names: there is no idea of giving up a big shot in the pipeline. But to achieve this it will be important to earn money from some “minor” starts. In the balance is Dumfries, a starter but certainly not essential, around which the dialogues for the renewal have started again, but have not so far led to positive news. The Dutchman could be sacrificed: he has a market in the Premier League, in the past he had also been approached by Manchester United, it remains to be seen whether the interest will continue. And then there are essentially three other players with whom Inter can think of raising money. The most “important” is Valentin Carboni. The Nerazzurri club would not like to give up the player, they believe a lot in the Argentine, but the market is made up of choices and in the face of a high offer the young man could leave. The ideal, for Inter, would be a Fabbian-style transfer, i.e. with the possibility of maintaining control of the player with a buyback. What is certain is that to see Carboni leave, more than the 20 million euros that Inter already refused from Fiorentina in January will be needed. The other two profiles that have a market are those of Sebastiano Esposito and Gaetano Oristanio.
the choices
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In recent seasons, Inter have become accustomed to important operations with players they own but not from the first team squad: Pinamonti and Casadei teach. Here, the goal is to replicate those deals. If it is possible, the assault on Gudmundsson would certainly be easier. Otherwise we will have to find an alternative route and Martial is a route currently being evaluated. Inter is attentive. And he doesn’t budge from the idea of increasing his forward fleet numerically for next season. Lautaro and Thuram arrived worn out at the decisive moment, which cost them the Champions League: it is a mistake that does not want to be repeated.
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