I wrote earlier this week about the financial troubles that Inter Milan’s Chinese owners are in. Inter owe over €200m in transfer fees to other clubs, with their biggest debt being too Manchester United for the signing of Romelu Lukaku back in 2019.
Inter still owe United over €50m for Lukaku, and it appears that they have failed to make a €5m bonus payment to the Premier League side.
According to Italian outlet Il Corriere dello Sport, that missed payment has triggered a clause in the contract that states that Inter need to pay outstanding fee in full by March 31. The problem is that Inter does not have €50m. They obviously don’t even have €5m!
United have presented Inter with an option to give them Lautaro Martinez or Milan Skriniar instead of the cash.
Martinez is one of the club’s most valuable players, with the striker having netted 17 goals in all competitions this season. Centre back Skriniar has helped the club to eight clean sheets in Serie A as has been high on Jose Mourinho’s wish list for the last two summers.
Inter’s owners are trying to avoid having to “give away” two of its prize assets in Martinez or Skriniar and too that end they are trying to find someone interested in acquiring 30% of the club.
The latest suitors linked with buying a part of Inter is the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) has shown interest in Inter, while Fortress Investment Group has already placed a bid to buy the club from Suning.
Reports out of Italy and China suggest that Suning would prefer to sell 30 per cent of Inter to PIF rather than the whole club to BC Partners.
