Inter Worldwide will be analysing each position during this transfer window. Where can Inter improve? Do we have the financial capacity this winter? Keep reading to find out more:
Part Four: Centre Back
In this position, at this moment, we shouldn’t have any emergency signings. We have two of the best, young central defenders in Skriniar & DeVrij, and two experienced back ups Ranocchia & Miranda. Both have their contract expiring at the end of this season. The Brazilian apparently has decided to play back home at the end of the season, probably joining Flamengo, while we don’t have any clue about the future of the Italian. For this reason, Ausilio and Marotta need to keep their eyes open and plan our defensive future since today. These are few option:
Option 1:
Matthijs De Ligt
Age: 19
Value: €50M
Club: Ajax
Agent: Barry Hulshoff / Mino Raiola
He won just few days ago, in Turin, the Golden Boy award for the most promising player under 21 in Europe. Rumours are saying he is wanted already at Barcelona, Juve, Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich. He has however, highlighted his ambition to star for Ajax. Former Ajax players like Litmanen, Overmars and De Boer think he should wait another year before moving to a bigger club, but at the same time it could be hard to resist a high level offer made for a defender, the one Barca allegedly is ready to make. For this reason, it sounds really hard for Inter to make a real move on him, with the FFP rules and all… Though the teenager put off all talk of his future until the end of the season, his new agent Raiola is already chatting with different clubs and managers about him, hopefully he will sit down also with an old pal like Marotta.
Possible move in January: 0% Possible move in the summer: 15%
Option 2:
Eliaquim Mangala
Age: 27
Value: €15M
Club: Man City.
He has been under Ausilio’s radar for the last couple of years, now finally he could be able to sign him, it could be just a matter of time. Mangala’s contract is going to expire at the end of this season, so we will see if Inter decide to approach the player asking a big discount in January or wait a few months and sign him on a free transfer. No matter what, I think we should start to get familiar with his profile. Mangala started to make his name at Standard Liege before moving to FC Porto in 2011. After 3 years of good level performances he moved to Man City under Pellegrini. He didn’t adjust to that kind of football very well so he was sent on loan to Valencia in ’16/’17. Coming back from that experience he found Pep Guardiola as his new coach. In those two years he’s sent on another loan, to Everton this time, where he picked up a knee injury in his second appearance for the club. Recovering from the injury, he now has to face a lineup of star defenders like Kompany, Stones, Laporte and Otamendi at Pep’s disposal, thus plunging him down the pecking order.
Would he be able to adapt to Serie A and give a good support to our defensive package? I think we’ll find out pretty soon.
Possible move in January: 40% Possible move in the summer: 85%
Option 3: Joachim Andersen
Age: 22
Value: €25M
Club: Sampdoria
Agent: Relatives
After last season’s incredible transfer of Skriniar, I’d be surprised if we manage to convince Samp president Ferrero to sell us this Dane talent. The list of suitors is long and includes Man Utd, Juve, Arsenal, Tottenham, Borussia Dortmund, Valencia and Sevilla.
Mourinho was eager to go all in on the defender in this winter window, let’s see if the new coach will do the same thing. Otherwise we should be in a great position to sign him in the summer.
Even if the player just extended his contract to June 2022, Ferrero publicly fixed his price around €50M. Some close to Ausilio are saying that they already have had some meeting and a pre-deal involving an exchange with Xian Emmers and Facundo Colidio. Nothing is certain, especially when there is Ferrero and Juve at the table.
Possible move in January: 30% Possible move in the summer: 70%
Option 4:
Ozan Kabak
Age: 18
Value: €7.5M
Club: Galatasaray
Agent: F-F sport (Turkish players)
Another young talent with a long list of suitors already working on the best offer. Galatasaray said they are willing to negotiate starting from €20M but a loophole in his contract allows the player to leave for just €7.5M. So Man Utd, City, Roma, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund need just to offer the best contract/project for this incredible prospect, at his first season in the Turkish League under Terim, where he played 10 games so far. In the youth team he can count 50 appearances and 13 goals. He recently also played his first game in Champions League.
