A Strong Interest From Saudi Arabia Could Ruin Inter’s Plan For Next Season

Written By Onyeka Daniel

It has definitely been a great season so far for Italian giants, Inter as they remain one of the top three clubs still chasing an European treble this season, alongside Barcelona and PSG and much of that success can be attributed to their manager, Simone Inzaghi.

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The former Lazio manager has continued to work magic despite having to deal with many financial constraints and his work has steadily attracted the interest of other top clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City. For the Nerazzurri, the idea is to keep him for the foreseeable future.

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Hence, they’re already talking about handing him a new contract, less than a year ago when he signed his last contract with the club, but there is a real cause for concern lately as they face a similar situation that allowed them snatch the tactician from his former club, Lazio in 2021.

According to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport, Al-Hilal Chairman, Fahad bin Nafel travelled to Milan as the Saudi side is interested in Inter star Nicolò Barella and the Inter coach ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup. The report further stated that Saudi side Al-Hilal are willing to strengthen their squad with two Inter cornerstones:

Barella and Inzaghi as their interest in the Italian midfielder was reported earlier this month that Barella had rejected a big-money offer from the Saudi Pro League side, but according to the latest report, their interest in him remains high. The report is also of the opinion that Al-Hilal have also set their sights on the Nerazzurri coach.

He is seen as their favourite candidate to replace Jorge Jesus, hence, Fahad bin Nafel spent a few days in Milan this week to explore a potential deal. According to the report, the Saudi side could offer up to €20m per season to convince each of them, but Inter are confident Inzaghi will extend his contract at San Siro and Barella has already rejected their advances and will continue to do so.

President Beppe Marotta reiterated on Thursday that Inzaghi’s extension until 2028 was “a formality.” According to several sources, Inzaghi would become the highest-paid Serie A coach if he signs for Inter, earning €7m plus add-ons.

In a related development, Italian defender, Alessandro Bastoni sees a lot of envy when it comes to judging Italian players, but has no issues with Riccardo Calafiori and the Azzurri team. The Inter star gave an interview with Gazzetta where he discussed, among other things, his contributions to the Italy national team.

The 26-year-old was asked why many pundits still do not see him as a ‘pure’ centre-back, but he disagreed with the criticism. “That’s a very Italian way of judging it. There’s a lot of envy here, especially when it comes to our own players,” he said. “I watch a lot of games in foreign leagues and see defenders who are hailed as monsters, but they make more mistakes than I do.”

“That criticism might have been valid two or three years ago, when I had clear flaws, but I worked on them and improved. That label doesn’t fit me anymore.” So, how has he improved defensively in recent years? “By watching videos and seeing what I was doing wrong, but mostly working on the mindset. It was a mental issue,” he admitted.

“I often lost focus as I didn’t have the same determination for 90 minutes. I’ve just turned 26 and I have room to grow, but in my first seasons at Inter, I wasn’t 100% ready in every aspect. The trait that makes me different is the ability to contribute in attack.”

“I don’t know what the future defenders will look like, but I’m proud to be one of the first ones to change the role. That being said, I can defend too and being around guys like Skriniar, Acerbi, De Vrij, and Pavard helped me. The real change was in my head.”

According to estimated value, Bastoni is valued as the most expensive centre-back in the world at €85m, but despite his ability to push forward as the left central defender in a three-man defence, he has to adapt when he plays with the Italian national team, playing as a pure central defender and leaving the left wing to Riccardo Calafiori.

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“Calafiori plays in the same role, and he’s really good. Spalletti’s idea is to put as much quality as possible on the pitch, and we adapt to his philosophy,” Bastoni explained. “Riccardo is a great guy. We have a healthy group in the national team, and there are no issues at all.” He further added.

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