Davide Santon

Inter are ready to reassess the situation of striker Gabriel Barbosa during January, as he returns from a season on loan at Brazilian club Santos. 

The Brasileiro Serie A season ends this month, leaving Gabigol to return to Italy for the new year.

The club has been impressed by the 22-year-old, who has scored 16 goals in 32 league appearances for the Brazilian side, with reports that Inter want to bring him back to their squad with the intention of either playing him or, more likely, selling him rather than farming him out on loan again.

Gabriel Barbosa (22) in Brasileirão this season:

?31 games.
??16 goals
?2 assist.

Reviving his career after a difficult time at Inter Milan. ?? pic.twitter.com/jQCbMd8Goq

— ftbltalents (@Ftbltalents) 7 November 2018

?UOL report that Inter have been impressed with Gabigol’s form and are willing to give him a chance to earn a place in their side in January – but would ask for around €30m if they choose to sell. 

The Brazilian outlet report that Crystal Palace are the team from England looking at a move for the 22-year-old given their lack of striking options, but ?Goal Brazil report that West Ham and Everton are also considering a move for the former wonderkid – despite being just a few months removed from a summer in which both spent heavily to reinforce their attacking lines.  

Positively for his Premier League suitors, Gabigol has reportedly promised Santos he won’t be playing for another Brazilian rival.

The 22-year-old spoke recently in a press conference about how he may find it hard to return to Inter after a year away from the club, which does seem to really increase the likelihood of him moving away on a permanent basis. A bidding way between the Hammers and the Eagles may ensue. 

Gabigol said: “Hard to tell, things have changed, but the effort made was for the love for Santos. For my desire to return after a year without playing, trusting in my potential, in my teammates to help me find good football. But being honest: the possibility is very small.”

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?Chelsea have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Inter superstar Mauro Icardi, as the Serie A side may be forced to sell the striker to raise money and avoid UEFA’s Financial Fair Play sanctions.

With both Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud failing to impress during their time in London, Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move for the prolific Icardi, who has already netted ten goals this season. Morata has found some impressive form in recent weeks, but Chelsea could still decide to move for Icardi if they feel a reasonable deal can be reached.

Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport (via The Sun) state that ?Inter must raise £44m before the end of June to avoid punishment, which could range from a fine to a ban from participating in either the Champions League or Europa League.

The urgent need for funds could see them sell several of their star players, one of whom could be striker ?Icardi. ?Chelsea have been heavily linked with a move for the 25-year-old, whilst ?Manchester United have also been touted as potential suitors for Icardi.

His release clause is said to be £97.5m, but Inter may find themselves forced to accept a lower offer for Icardi as they seek to avoid any strict punishment from UEFA.

?Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis has claimed that Icardi could develop into one of the world’s best players under the guidance of Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri, telling the media: “Icardi is a champion, he could become a new ?Ronaldo, in the hands of Sarri he could make 40 goals.”

Should Chelsea move to sign Icardi, it could bring about the end of ?Morata‘s career at Stamford Bridge. Rumours have emerged linking Morata with a loan move to Inter, which may encourage the Italian side to part with their captain.

However, should Jose Mourinho attempt to bring Icardi to United, it may spark a bidding war between the two clubs. 

The likes of ?Alexis Sanchez and ?Romelu Lukaku have faced huge amounts of criticism from United fans after a series of poor performances, meaning they may be keen on bringing in Icardi, who has netted an impressive 117 goals in 195 outings for Inter.

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Serie A giants Internazionale are hopeful of signing Tottenham Hotspur star Jan Vertonghen on a free transfer, according to reports in Italy.

The 31-year-old centre back is out of contract in the summer and will be available to talk to clubs outside of the Premier League over a Bosman move as early as January.

Club and international teammate Toby Alderweireld is also entering the final few months of his contract in north London, but while Premier League rivals Manchester United appear to be closest to his signature, Inter are keeping tabs on Vertonghen.

Football Italia cite journalist Gianluca Di Marzio’s claims that Inter will look to complete a similar deal for Vertonghen which saw Stefan de Vrij move to San Siro earlier this year from SS Lazio.

It has also been suggested that Inter could offer a significantly reduced fee during the January transfer window to test Tottenham’s resolve before the end of the season.

If Vertonghen stays put until the summer, he would have been with Tottenham for a total of seven years. So far, the Belgium international has racked up 260 appearances across all competitions for the club – surpassing his 220 run outs with former side Ajax.

The Nerazzurri are currently also trying to fight off competition for their star defender Milan Škriniar. The Slovakian has caught the eye of Europe’s biggest clubs, but the latest word is that he is in talks to extend his contract at San Siro.

Škriniar is quickly becoming one of the hottest defensive prospects in Europe, but Inter would make a real statement of intent by tying him down to a long-term deal alongside the likes of Mauro Icardi, Ivan Periši? and Radja Nainggolan.

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Inter are set to beat Premier League competition from Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of Porto’s Mexican midfielder Héctor Herrera.

Both north London sides have been linked with a move for the Mexican international in recent years, but neither club have made a substantial move for the midfielder, whose contract is due to expire in the summer.

According to ?talkSPORT, the 28-year-old is yet to agree terms over a new deal with the Portuguese side, which has paved the way for a summer exit with Inter, ?Tottenham and Arsenal among the favourites to recruit the midfielder for free.

During the summer, there was much speculation surrounding the future of the Mexican, with a host of sides with European calibre keen, including Roma, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Meanwhile, reports at the time from Portugal’s ?Correio da Manhã, indicated that ?Arsenal were Herrera’s favoured suitors.

However, reports in Italy from ?Sport Italia suggest that Inter are close to securing the future of Herrera, who seems ready to swap the blue and white colours of Porto for the black and blue of Inter.

It is believed that ?Inter are already in discussions with the midfielder and are set to offer him a contract in the new year, ahead of a proposed move in the summer, although the Nerazzurri may also choose to pay for his services in the January window.

Herrera has made 209 senior appearances for the Azuis e Brancos, scoring 29 goals since arriving in 2013 from Pachuca. He won the league title with Porto last season and also helped the side to two Portuguese Super Cup titles.

He is an established Mexico international and has made 70 appearances, helping them to a CONCACAF Gold Cup triumph in 2015.

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Barcelona have been revealed as the club with the highest wage bill in all of Europe, far ahead of La Liga rivals Real Madrid, as well as big spending Premier League duo Manchester United and Manchester City.

Barcelona’s annual wage bill, revealed by the club’s published 2017/18 accounts, is so big it is nearly €100m more than Real Madrid’s and close to half a billion Euros in total.

Swiss Ramble has conducted significant research into the Catalan club’s finances this week, finding that while Barça’s annual revenue is rising. But last season’s total revenue of €914m was propped up by a €209m gain in player sales, the proportion of turnover (commercial, matchday, broadcasting etc) spent on wages at Camp Nou was among the highest in La Liga at 70%.

That figure was previously a very frugal 43% for the 2012/13,which right now would be one of the lowest in La Liga, while only 53% of Real Madrid’s turnover last season went on wages.

Barça’s enormous wage bill in 2017/18 was €487m. No other elite European club even exceeded €400m, with Real second on the list on €395m. Manchester United’s wage bill for last season came to €337m and Manchester City’s hit €296m.

Only 2016/17 figures were available for several other top sides, but it still gives a good indication of how much each is spending on salaries.

Paris Saint-Germain’s bill hit €272m the season before last, while Bayern Munich spent €265m on wages. The figure for Juventus last season was €259m, while Premier League trio Chelsea (€256m), Liverpool (€241m) and Arsenal (€232m) complete the top 10 big wage spenders.

Tottenham Hotspur have been relatively frugal compared to their domestic rivals, spending €149m on wages in 2016/17. Perhaps surprisingly, Leicester sneak into the top 15 after their spend on wages for the 2016/17 campaign hit €131m – likely the result of a number of big contracts handed out by the Foxes after their Premier League title win the season before.

?Club	League?	Wage Bill?
?Barcelona	?La Liga	€487m
Real Madrid?	La Liga?	€395m?
Manchester United?	?Premier League	?€337m
?Manchester City	?Premier League	?€296m
?Paris Saint-Germain	?Ligue 1	€272m?*
Bayern Munich	Bundesliga?	€265m*?
Juventus?	Serie A?	€259m?
Chelsea?	Premier League?	€256m*?
Liverpool?	Premier League?	?€241m*
?Arsenal	?Premier League	?€232m*
?Borussia Dortmund	?Bundesliga	€187m?
Atletico Madrid?	La Liga?	€178m*?
Inter?	Serie A?	€156m?
Tottenham Hotspur?	Premier League?	€148m*?
Leicester City?	Premier League?	€131m*?

*2016/17 figures

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