Serie A Title Remains Inter’s Priority As The Club Look To Extend Thuram’s Contract

Written By Onyeka Daniel

With less than a dozen matches to play in the 2024-25 Serie A, it has really been a tough battle for who wins the title this season, unlike the previous one where we saw Inter break away from others early on, but notwithstanding, the Nerazzurri are still top of the table.

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It is also worth noting that the gap is marginal and a slip up could make them lose their position at the top, while Juventus in fourth position are just 6 points away as the club continue their dream of winning a treble this season, as revealed by Simone Inzaghi recently.

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For Josep Martinez, he has revealed in an interview with Corriere dello Sport that the Serie A title is Inter’s goal while the Champions League would be a dream for the team. The 26-year-old alao hailed his brilliant relationship with teammate Yann Sommer.

The Spanish goalkeeper was signed from Genoa last summer and he walked into a team who were already the champions of Serie A. Therefore, while he may not have experienced that triumph firsthand, he definitely knows what it meant to become a part of this Inter team.

Meanwhile, Inter reached the Champions League final a couple years ago. There, they were unfortunate to lose 1-0 to Manchester City. So far this season, Martinez has largely been the backup to Sommer. However, over the past couple weeks he has gotten his big chance.

This was after the Swiss goalkeeper was sidelined due to a thumb injury and for Martinez, he said: “We want to win every match. Our first thought is winning the Serie A title,” he continued. “Then the Champions League is a dream.” He continued.

Meanwhile, Martinez called legendary former Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas his idol. “As a Spaniard I preferred him to Buffon,” he admitted. “What a beautiful rivalry they had.” Another role model for Martinez was Bayern Munich captain Manuel Neuer.

The Inter keeper called Neuer “courageous, and a master of timing.” “I played in Spain, in Germany with Leipzig, and now in Italy,” Martinez noted. He called these “three great schools of football.” Of being a backup keeper for RB Leipzig and now Inter, the he admitted that “it’s not easy.”

“You have to work on yourself,” he reflected. “Train, wait for the opportunity. You know that it can come at any moment.” As far as whether he could still get starts now that Sommer is returning to fitness, Martinez admitted that “I don’t know either!”

“But I know that Yann and I have a brilliant relationship,” he added. “He’s ten years older than me, he’s a role model.” Martinez also made the bold claim that “With his feet, [Sommer] is number one in the world.”

He also gave his thoughts on which Inter player is the best on penalty kicks apart from Hakan Calhanoglu. “Lautaro,” he said. “He shoots them really hard. Zielinski is a very good penalty taker,” he added. “And then Dimarco is a left-footer. I couldn’t choose.” He further added.

In a related development, the club management is reportedly planning on renewing the contract of centre-forward Marcus Thuram, as they hope to remove the release clause in his current deal, which could theoretically be activated this summer.

The Frenchman joined Inter on a free transfer from Borussia Moenchengladbach in 2023, and has gone on to form an impressive strike partnership with Lautaro Martinez, which resulted in a Scudetto victory last season.

As things stand, Thuram is currently the fourth-highest earner among the Inter squad, behind Hakan Calhanoglu and Nicolo Barella, who reportedly earn around the same amount, and Lautaro, who is currently the second highest earner in the division.

A new contract for Thuram could mean that he overtakes Calhanoglu and Barella in Inter’s salary list according to reports from Gazzetta dello Sport. Thuram is still under contract with Inter until the summer of 2028. Hence, the Nerazzurri are not particularly concerned about the expiry date of his deal.

Rather the release clause that stands in his current agreement. According to the report, the release clause is worth €85m, which is roughly in line with his current market value. So far, there are no serious team looking to sign him, hence, no immediate move away.

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Notwithstanding, there is a risk that another ‘top’ club in Europe becomes tempted into activating the release clause. If Inter remove it, then they remain in control of setting an asking price for any interested parties and the player himself has revealed that he would not push for a move either.

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