FC Inter Milan News, Commentary & Tickets
From the category archives:
So it looks like Javier Mascherano has agreed to personal terms with Barcelona and all that is left is for Barca and Liverpool to agree on a price for the midfielder. Barcelona have offered around £12m but Liverpool want closer to £21m.
I am not too disappointed that Mascherano will not be heading to Inter. We already have Cambiasso in that position and he can play three or four more years for Inter. There is no need to spend around £20 million for this position at the moment.
{ 2 comments }
It took forever to complete, but the Mario Balotelli to Manchester City appears to have finally been completed for around £24 million (29 million euros).
Balotelli has reportedly signed a five-year contract with City.
The question now for Inter fans is how much of this 29 million euros will Rafa Benitez get to spend and who will he buy?
The main target for Inter all summer has been Javier Mascherano from Liverpool, but recents reports from Spain suggest that he is going to Barcelona.
Who should Inter sign with the Balotelli money?
{ 5 comments }
Good post on La Liga Tickets by Brian called The Special One Warns Buyers of Balotelli.
In the post Brian had this quote from Jose Mourinho on Mario Balotelli:
“The guy has incredible qualities, but sometimes does not know how to use his brain. Let me give an example of when we played at home in the semi-final of the Champions League against Barcelona and he would not take the field. I threw him into the fray and Mario was static, not even giving a hand in defense.”
{ 2 comments }
The Javier Mascherano transfer saga continues as the midfielder has told Liverpool that he wants a move away from the Premier League.
Inter have been linked with Mascherano all summer and La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that Inter want the player but not at the €25-30 million level that has been mentioned all summer.
Reports are that Inter will offer Liverpool Sulley Muntari plus €15m Mascherano. At first glance that looks like a deal that Liverpool will turn down, but if Muntari is a player that Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson likes then maybe Liverpool will go for it.
{ 3 comments }
Some interesting comments by Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti on Sky Italia about Mario Balotelli.
When asked if he viewed Balotelli exit as a personal failure, Moratti said:
“He could be, I don’t know. We’ll see if Balotelli’s departure will be a defeat, you can consider it how you want. There is Coutinho who is another youngster. The bet continues. Everyone is right about Balotelli, he is a talent, who in my opinion, has yet to express himself 100%, but this talent, in this moment, doesn’t seem so indispensable. We have important offers and objectives of an economic character, so you make a sacrifice with the player who everyone wants, not with the one who you try to sell and no one wants. Balotelli remains a great talent, but for us it’s almost an obligation to exit in this way. I definitely had a good relationship with him, then again I don’t know what he’ll say about that.”
{ 1 comment }
It appears that Inter and Manchester City have finally reached an agreement over the transfer of Mario Balotelli.
Sky Sport Italia reports that City will pay €30 million plus bonus add-ons to Inter, and that Balotelli will pen a five-year contract worth €4 million each year. With both teams set to meet this week in the U.S. I expect this deal to get done.
Roberto Mancini has been talking up Balotelli saying:
{ 1 comment }
With an eye on the future Inter have signed top Italian defensive prospect Andrea Ranocchia from Genoa.
Ranocchia, who is 22, will spend next season on loan to Genoa, as will Inter forward Mattia Destro who was the top scorer for Fulvio Pea’s Primavera side last season with 18 goals.
I really like the Ranocchia signing. With Lucio and Walter Samuel in the heart of Inter’s defence, Ranocchia would have struggled to play this season. But by loaning him back to Genoa, he gets to keep playing and developing.
{ 1 comment }
Two years after signing him from Vasco da Gama, Inter introduced Philippe Coutinho Correia to Inter fans today.
Correia, who is 18, is one of the rising stars in Brazilian football and cost Inter 3.8 million euros two years ago. After Inter signed him, Coutinho was loaned back to Vasco for the last two years so that he could gain more experience.
When introducing the player, Rafa Benitez called the attacking midfielder as “a young player with lots of quality. He can be the future of the club and we expect him to do very well for us.”
{ 4 comments }
This is the time of year when rumors about player transfers go into overdrive.
Inter President Massimo Moratti has said several times this week that he has received no offers yet for Mario Balotelli and that it will take an offer in the 30 million euros range before he will consider selling the player.
Interestingly La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Manchester City have made a €25m offer for Balotelli last night with a further €5m fee that would be paid based on Balotelli’s performance.
That offer was rejected but reports are that Man City executives are in Milan and are meeting with Inter, something that Moratti denied this morning.
{ 3 comments }
Some very interesting comments this week from Javier Mascherano’s agent Walter Tamer about his clients interest in moving to Inter Milan.
Tamer gave an interview to Corriere dello Sport and said:
“For him to be linked to Inter has a magical taste…it’s a dream. Think about it, the strongest team in the world wants him, a team where many of Mascherano’s compatriots play and a side that is guided by a coach with whom Mascherano has a personal bond.”
He added:
{ 1 comment }
