Inter Might Have Spared a Decent Sum for the Winter

Inter might have kept their powder dry late in the window to save some money for January, when the team’s needs will be clearer. They spent about €20M for Andy Diouf after moving on from Ademola Lookman and then signed Manuel Akanji on an initial loan, replacing Benjamin Pavard.

Considering they had planned a €40/45M investment to lure the Atalanta ace, the Nerazzurri could have a €20/25M budget during the winter, Corriere dello Sport informs (via Mediaset). Their brass would still like to add a player similar to the Nigerian attacker in terms of characteristics.

In that sense, Inter are eyeing Olympique Lyonnais’ Malick Fofana. It remains to be seen whether a €20/25M offer would suffice, as his outfit values him more. Plus, he could always go up a level in the coming months. He has totaled 16 goals and 8 assists in 65 matches after moving to France from Gent for €19.5M in 2024.

According to The Athletic (via Tuttomercatoweb), the Nerazzurri lodged a very serious proposal, about €40M, for Iliman Ndiaye after abandoning their pursuit of Lookman, but Everton turned it down.

Our Take on Inter

If that were the case, it would explain why they decided not to invest in a young defender late, other than due to the fact that they liked only Oumar Solet from that standpoint. They have a few months to see whether Ange-Yoan Bonny and Francesco Pio Esposito will make an impact and become viable alternatives to their starters in easier matches, and if Christian Chivu can indeed switch from a 3-5-2 to 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-1-2, setting the stage for the arrival of another quality attacker.