New Inter Milan head coach Christian Chivu is not prioritising the signing of Rasmus Hojlund from Manchester United, but the deal is still very much alive.
This is according to Gazzetta dello Sport (GDS, today’s paper edition, page 12), who claim that Chivu’s arrival has accelerated plans to bring Ange-Yoan Bonny with him from his old club, Parma.
GDS state that Chivu wants the deal closed in time for the French striker to take part in the Club World Cup, the deadline for which is Tuesday.
Whilst it has always been reported that the Nerazzurri want to sign both strikers, due to the vacancies being left by Correia, Arnautovic and potentially Mehdi Taremi, the shift in priority seems significant.
GDS claim that “The sporting director Ausilio tried to close the [Hojlund] deal in extremis, to immediately give the player to Chivu. But for the moment the Nerazzurri’s assault has been rejected by Manchester United.
“It’s not over, the deal continues. And Inter maintains good feelings about the fact that they will be able to complete the deal, evidently later.”
The outlet once again notes that the key issue will be finding a solution to the stand-off over terms. Inter want a loan with an option to buy, whereas United want a sale of around €45 million.
“The deal could come together…halfway,” GDS say.
“In the sense that the Nerazzurri club could close by postponing the purchase to 2026: at that point the buyout figure would drop, perhaps in exchange for a more expensive loan to be paid immediately. In short, the negotiation is open.”
Meanwhile, as reported here earlier, we await any confirmation from tier one journalists such as Fabrizio Romano and Gianluca DiMarzio that Inter are indeed negotiating a deal for Hojlund.
Hojlund himself, when quizzed yesterday, said he “expects” to remain at Old Trafford.
It is also worth noting that United’s options to replace Hojlund are being snapped up by other clubs. Liam Delap has joined Chelsea, Victor Osimhen looks set to join Al-Hilal, Jonathan David appears Napoli bound and Benjamin Sesko appears close to an Arsenal switch.
Viktor Gyokeres may still be an option, but INEOS may be keen to close a deal for an incoming striker before they give the green light to Hojlund’s departure.
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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Red Billy
Red Billy is the managing editor of The Peoples Person, author of three books and totally obsessed with football’s transfer market. Billy still insists Matteo Darmian and Alex Telles could have made it at United given half a chance.
