Inter have missed out on Dejan Kulusevski to Juventus. The Swede is on his way to the Bianconeri for a fee of €35m with a further €9m in bonuses. With the medical now set to take place at J-Medical, many Inter fans would be regretting that they couldn’t sign the 19-year-old. And while there is a valid reason for that, it isn’t exactly the end of the world for the Nerazzurri.
Inter, at one point, were closest to signing the Atalanta man. Serious efforts were underway from the Nerazzurri to sign the versatile creative player. But Juve got the player from under their noses. It happened out of nowhere. That is probably the biggest frustration for Inter fans.
But that should be their only frustration. There is doubt that Kulusevski would have been a very good signing, the club still has options that can improve their midfield. It is obvious that they need midfield enforcements- something Antonio Conte has already been clear about.
As things stand, Inter are without Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella due to injury. Because of that, Conte has seen the club play the likes of Matias Vecino, Roberto Gagliardini, Borja Valero. Marcelo Brozovic has been regular, but tiredness is slowly catching up.
There is no shortage of players who have been linked with the club either. The latest one is Christian Eriksen, who could be available for €20 million. With the Dane’s contract running out in the summer of 2020, he would be a very viable option.
Not just that, but the club has also drawn links with Arturo Vidal. The club’s vice president Javier Zanetti has already said that Vidal would take the club to another level. Reports state that the Chilean is the club’s prime January target, with Barcelona demanding about €20 million for him. Inter are said to be upping their offer to about €15 million in a bid to sign him.
The club was also linked with Rodrigo de Paul some days ago. It was said that the Argentine is an alternative to Vidal, with the Friulian side looking at least €30 million to sell him.
Both Vidal and De Paul are versatile players in midfield. While Vidal is more in the Barella-mould, he has sometimes been used slightly further forward at Barcelona too. The same goes for De Paul.
Last season for Udinese, De Paul had contributed to 17 goals in the Serie A. The club had scored 39 goals in total. That shows how important a player De Paul is for Udinese. He is a creative player, who completed 2.3 dribbles per game and played 2.7 key passes per game. That is what Inter need when Sensi isn’t playing.
De Paul did sign a new deal recently for Udinese, after being close to moves to the likes of Inter, Mila, Napoli and even Fiorentina. And since then, it has been a matter of time before he leaves the club.
Eriksen too would be a very good purchase. The Tottenham man’s deal runs out in the summer of 2020 and he has been one of the best attacking midfielders in the last few years. Getting someone like him for a cut-price deal would be a very lucrative deal for the Nerazzurri.
With the January transfer window now already onto the club, they don’t have time for regrets. It is time for them to make an impact. They should prioritise their targets and move on from their regrets about Kulusevski. They need to get at least one of De Paul, Eriksen or Vidal. If they don’t get their signings right, it could affect their Scudetto challenge.
