New Stadium Plan Takes Centre Stage For Oaktree At Inter

Written By Onyeka Daniel

It’s been less than 6 months since American investment funds, Oaktree Capital took over the control of Italian giants, Inter Milan from their former Chinese owners, Suning, and while they were initially expected to quickly sell off the club, it appears that they have a long term plan for the current Serie A champions instead.

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With the departure of Suning, the new owners appointed Beppe Marotta as president, signifying their plans to keep the club on the current path of self sustainance. Their plan is now starting to unravel after it was revealed that they are determined to launch a new stadium project for the Nerazzurri.

The club is has found itself handicapped regarding the building of their own stadium In 2019, they, alongside their city rivals, AC Milan launched a shared project to rebuild the San Siro. However, the city council prevented them from demolishing the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium due to its historic and cultural significance.

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This prompted the two clubs to head in separate ways and pursue their own stadiums on the outskirts of Milano. Inter identified the Rozzano region as their potential new home, while Milan did likewise in San Donato. Nevertheless, Milano Mayor Giuseppe Sala has been working tirelessly to keep the two clubs inside the city walls.

He proposed to renovate the current stadium, but the two Milanese clubs eventually rejected WeBuild’s project. Instead, they returned to the original idea of building a new stadium at San Siro next to the current ground. But amidst all the confusion, Oaktree are keen to find a swift solution.

The Nerazzurri owners believe that owning a stadium is a necessity for the club’s success, especially from a financial standpoint. Therefore, Marotta insists the management is working tirelessly on the matter. But he doesn’t get into much detail.

“We are working hard and talking a lot about the stadium,” said the Nerazzurri president while chatting with reporters during an event in Milan. “It’s an important objective for the owners.

But I cannot reveal more at the moment. The reporters also asked the 67-year-old about his club’s defeat in the Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan last weekend.“ The Derby? Well, these things happen in football,” shrugged Marotta.

In a related development, the club will be looking to add at least a central defender to their ranks for next season, but Jaka Bijol isn’t the only name on the shortlist.The Nerazzurri will likely part ways with at least one between Francesco Acerbi and Stefan de Vrij at the end of the current season.

The two veterans have been vying for a starting berth at the heart of Simone Inzaghi’s backline. However, the club’s new owners don’t intend to keep two ageing players for the same role. And with both of them running on expiring contracts, a change of the guard seems inevitable. According to Tuttosport, Udinese’s Bijol is one of the main candidates for the role.

The 25-year-old has established himself as one of the most reliable defenders in Serie A over the past couple of years.The Slovenian continues to produce the goods for the Friulani. He will be looking to prove himself once more when his team hosts Inter at the Bluenergy Stadium this weekend.

Also, it is worth noting that Udinese have already found themselves a replacement in the shape of Oumar Soulet. While a January transfer remains unlikely, their director Gianluca Nani said only a few days ago, that the 25-year-old won’t leave in the January transfer window: “He is an excellent player and naturally top clubs approach him.

What if Inter ask for him in January? A player of his caliber, won’t be sold in January. If they [Inter] call us, we’ll tell them to wait.” But Inter might decide to start negotiations earlier, to avoid a bidding way in the summer. But according to the report, Bijol isn’t the only profile on Inter’s radar.

Other names were also mentioned, including Bayer Leverkusen’s out-of-contract stalwart Jonathan Tah.Giorgio Scalvini and Perr Schuurs are also among the candidates. However, the Atalanta and Torino defenders are both out with long-term injuries.

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The source also names Olivier Boscagli who will be a free agent in the summer after seeing out his contract with PSV Eindhoven. There is also Nathan Zeze of Nantes and Valencia defender Yarek Gasiorowski who were concrete target in the just concluded summer transfer window before they eventually signed Tomas Palacios.

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