Italian outlet Tuttosport report that Inter Milan have decided to end their interest in signing Alvaro Morata, choosing instead to focus solely on Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun.
The striker’s value is reportedly estimated at over €40m, but Inter are hoping to sign the player for a €5m loan fee with a €35m obligation to buy at the end of the season, plus bonuses.
Corriere dello Sport make a similar claim, again emphasising that Inter would want an initial loan with an obligation to buy, rather than a straight purchase this summer.
CdS put Inter’s starting point for negotiations at €35m, but they admit that Arsenal want more than €40m.
CBS Sports recently reported that Inter were ready to test Arsenal with a €40m bid, but they haven’t formally submitted it yet.
According to CBS, Arsenal have a £50m valuation on Balogun, so Inter’s bid (which equates to £34.6m) is likely to fall well short.
The Gunners know that Balogun also has admirers in the Premier League, including Brighton, Crystal Palace, and West Ham United, so they don’t want to rush him out the door for the first offer.
On top of the valuation gap, Arsenal are unlikely to be too happy with the idea of delaying the official sale for another year.
After investing heavily this summer, the club are presumably hoping to raise funds through sales now, not in 12 months’ time.
The money would be guaranteed eventually, so it’s not quite as bad as if Inter had proposed a loan with an option to buy. Even so, it’s hard to see Arsenal jumping at the chance to do this deal on the current terms.
