Mauro Icardi summer sweepstakes continues: Who will sign him in the end?
Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi is eyeing a move away from San Siro and several teams are doing what they can to try and sign him.
Argentine striker Mauro Icardi got plenty of attention this past season for his antics at Inter Milan. He’s grabbing the headlines once again this summer as the transfer tug-of-war continues between three clubs looking to sign him before the start of the season.
Icardi, who is repped by his wife and agent Wanda Nara, is looking to make his exit from Inter Milan as Napoli, Roma and Juventus all work tirelessly to try and sign him before the Serie A-imposed transfer deadline set for Sept. 2.
The saga has been front page news in Italy with daily reports fueling speculation that Icardi is a step closer to leaving. Inter Milan’s purchase of Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United didn’t help Icardi’s case that he’d stay with the Nerazzurri. The club has given Lukaku the No. 9 jersey that belonged to Icardi.
Icardi is one of the world’s best strikers. Despite his antics, his value has steadily increased over the past few years. His value, according to the website Transfermarkt, is currently at an estimated $90 million. He was Serie A’s joint top scorer two seasons ago with 28 goals in 34 games.
Here are the three teams looking to sign Icardi and what they are doing to try and get him to sign with them.
Napoli
The Partenopei are looking to bulk up their roster this summer in order to challenge Juventus’ lock on the league title. Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, in an effort to convince the 26-year-old Inter captain to sign with Napoli, offered up an annual salary of $11 million a year in return for the player relinquishing his image rights.
One of the big sticking points has been the players’ image rights, which are owned by Nara. If Napoli or Roma can get over that hurdle, Icardi could very well be changing teams by the end of the month.
Roma
At the same time, the Giallorossi are also looking to sign Icardi. The club says Icardi would prefer to sign with them over Napoli.
Inter Milan appear prepared to open talks with Roma, but only once Icardi commits himself to a move. In return, Inter would then try and work out a swap for striker Edin Dzeko in addition to $34 million in cash.
Juventus
The Bianconeri looked like the place Icardi would land at the start of the summer, but a deal never materialized. Nara had reportedly been in touch with Juventus at the end of last season, adding to the club’s star-studded lineup.
In the end, Juve could very well swoop in and work out a potential loan deal with Inter. That would allow Inter to offload Icardi temporarily with Juventus looking to sign him long-term in the end. It also hinges on whether the club sells off strikers Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala.
Inter Milan
In the end, Icardi could remain at Inter. That would be the worst-case scenario for the Milan-based club. Icardi, who signed a contract that expires in June 2021, proved a difficult player to coach, with his wife causing much disruption during her TV appearances and on her Instagram feed.
Hits and misses from the Premier League transfer day deadline. dark. Next
Inter may not be an option since new coach Antonio Conte could bench Icardi for the season until a deal is made sometime in the future. Conte made it a stipulation that Icardi leave when he was named coach in May.
The Serie A season kicks off on Aug. 24 when defending champions Juventus travel to Parma. Inter Milan open their season two days later when they host Lecce.