For months we have heard that Inter Milan manger Roberto Mancini wanted to sign Manchester City star Yaya Toure this summer. A move that has Nerazzurri shaking their head that Inter would spend that much money on an aging star, when they have one of the best young talents in Europe sitting on the bench in Mateo Kovačić.
But it is the latest transfer news from England’s Daily Mail that has me shaking my head wondering if anyone at the club actually has a plan for this summer.
The Jovetic to Inter rumors heated up this week with news of a meeting between his representatives and the club and Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio told Sky Italia:
‘Dreams are beautiful, I’m trying to prepare something and I hope my dreams come true.
‘Jovetic? In the past there was something, especially last summer. We had gone quite a bit forward in the negotiations, we were hoping to conclude the deal but then Negredo became injured and Manchester City changed their minds.
‘He is a great player, he fits the profile of the player we are looking for. He is not very young but he is fully mature and still has a lot to give. He is a very talented player but the English club buys very often but seldom sells.’
But here is where Inter’s summer transfer strategy eludes me. According to the newspaper, if Inter cannot land Jovetic and Toure that they will go after Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva and West Ham midfielder Alex Song.
How can you go from Toure and Jovetic to Leiva and Song? There is no comparison in the quality between the to groups of players. Plus Leiva and Song are similar players. Why would you sign both of them, when you already have a squad full of defensive midfielders?
I understand that teams will not be completely transparent over they transfer strategy, but it appears that Inter’s strategy is Toure or bust. And that is not the time of plan that will get Inter back into European contention next season.