Last week Inter President Massimo Moratti had this to day about Inter’s current transfer market strategy:
“There is nothing regarding the transfer market, there is nothing to say… Sales first? Absolutely…”
Why does a club the size of Inter need to sell before it can bring new players? Why are they in such a cash poor position?
One reason is that Inter has €31m tied up in wages to EIGHT players.
image source: http://fedenerazzurra.com
The scary part of that €31m wage bill is these players are all past their prime, which makes it harder for the club to get value for them in the transfer market.
It is pretty clear that Inter want to slash wages by selling the likes of Sneijder, Julio Cesar, Maicon, Chivu, Forlan, Lucio, Stankovic and Pazzini and replacing then with younger players like Palacio (€1.7m wages).
Keep in mind that many of these numbers are net pay which means that the actual cost to Inter is much higher.
That is why they let Lucio go last week (saved €14 million net over two years) and why Diego Forlan is expected to be released also in the next week.
But Inter cannot release all their aging veterans, but their age and performances over the last 18 months makes them difficult to sell.
Wesley Sneijder is on €6 million net (which costs Inter €12 million) until 2015. Selling Sniejder would knock €36 million of Inter’s wage bill over the next three seasons. That is a lot of money and makes you start to ask whether he is worth that?
Same goes for Maicon and Julio Cesar. Julio Cesar used to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but at 33 years old, are his best days behind him? Julio Cesar is making €4.5 million a season for the next two seasons. Can Inter get someone as good for a cheaper price? Probably.
As for Maicon, his contract is expiring next season and Inter will not want to sign him for anywhere near the €4 million a year he currently makes. That is why he will be sold this summer.
The future for Inter is get get younger, better and cheaper players in to replace veterans because without selling them Inter will not be challenging for the title next season.
