When Cristiano Ronaldo made the shock move to join Juventus earlier this summer, it made many question whether the simple presence of the superstar would encourage other top players to join the league. While this previous column discussed the potential pitfalls of the arrival of CR7 for some of the smaller Serie A sides, there have also been some positive knock-on effects.
While Inter have strengthened in the transfer market – bringing in the likes of Radja Nainggolan, Stefan De Vrij and Kwadwo Asamoah from league rivals AS Roma, Lazio and Juventus respectively – recent links to Arturo Vidal and Luka Modric show that the Nerazzurri are going up in the world.
Perhaps the chance to battle against Ronaldo gives the league’s top sides that added edge in recruiting players, but the San Siro outfit will also play in the Champions League next term for the first time since 2011/12, bringing extra benefits for those who wish to come on board.
While Vidal ultimately opted for Barcelona, Thursday’s edition of Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that World Cup hero Modric was set to meet Real Madrid president Florentino Perez on Friday to express his desire to join his Croatia team-mates at Inter. Ivan Perisic, Marcelo Brozovic and Sime Vrsaljko all now play for the Nerazzurri, however Los Merengues are said to be keen to hold onto the midfielder, who has a €750 million release clause.
The report also suggests that the Nerazzurri have already agreed personal terms with the midfielder, with club owners Suning ready to foot the bill for a reported €10 million per season, a €3.5 million increase on his current salary in Madrid. If this is the case, then Real will surely have to offer an improved deal when the two parties meet tomorrow, and Spanish ‘paper Marca backs up the fact that the negotiations would have to conclude with at least an equal salary to that being proposed by Inter.
Yet fans of the San Siro giants – who have already sold out their home season ticket allocation for 2018/19 – can still hope that a deal can be reached before the season begins, and boss Luciano Spalletti understands how they feel.
“Modric? I’ll keep dreaming with the fans, as the club have shown that they’re working in a consistent manner,” revealed the coach. “It’s clear that a player of his ability would be important to us. There are still some days of the window left.
The Italian window shuts on August 18, leaving just over a week in order to convince Real Madrid to lower their asking price and complete the deal. If Modric does join before the campaign begins, Inter supporters won’t care whether it is the CR7 effect, joining fellow Croatians or simply because the Nerazzurri have shown real ambition. For they will have signed one of Europe’s most talented players, the icing on the cake of an already superb squad, a real sign that this sleeping giant is back in contention.
