Inter Milan will try to sign another striker to replace Romelu Lukaku, who has turned his attention to Juventus.
Gazzetta dello Sport, which focuses on news from the Italian soccer world, reported on Sunday (Nov. 17) that the Nerazzurri are in the market for a striker.
Inter’s original plan was to bring back Lukaku, who spent last season on loan, to form a forward line for the 2023-2024 season with existing striker Lautaro Martinez, new signing Marcus Thuram, and Lukaku. Lukaku’s original club, Chelsea, had disagreed on the transfer fee, but it looked like the deal would eventually go through, as Lukaku has often expressed his love for Inter.
However, there has been a recent twist. Local media reported last week that Lukaku had begun to distance himself from Inter. Since then, Lukaku’s potential next destination has shifted from Inter to Juventus. Some reports suggested that Lukaku was unhappy about being left out of last season’s UEFA Champions League (UCL) final squad and had been in contact with Juventus since then.
With Lukaku’s change of heart now confirmed, Inter have turned their attention to other strikers. Alvaro Morata, a veteran Atletico Madrid striker 스포츠토토 who has played in Italy before, and Paulinho, a young Arsenal striker who scored 21 league goals last season while on loan at Ligue 1 side Stade de France.
However, the estimated transfer fees for both players are higher than Inter’s expectations. Morata is reportedly worth €21 million and Balogun more than €50 million.
There are other candidates. Portuguese striker Beto (Udinese), who scored double-digit goals in Italy’s Serie A last season, and Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi (Porto), who won the Portuguese Primeira Liga’s top scorer award.