Serie A transfer rumours: Inter Milan extremely close to signing Portugal star Joao Mario
Inter Milan recently announced the signing of a new manager, placing the responsibility in the hands of Dutchman Frank De Boer. And soon, the Italian giants could land themselves a lucrative deal as a result of signing the in-form Euro 2016 sensation, Joao Mario.
The Portuguese winger has been subject to a prolonged interest from major clubs such as Liverpool, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain after his exploits for the national team. However, Inter Milan seem to have aced a deal of €45 million plus around €5 million in bonuses, that Sporting Clube de Portugal are likely to not turn down.
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Although Sporting CP seemed to be adamant about their asking price which hovered around the €60 million mark, it now appears that they are satisfied with the improved Nerazzurri offer. If this deal goes through, it will be the first signing for new manager Frank De Boer in his pursuit of reviving the Serie A giants. Inter Milan had recently sacked their returning manager Roberto Mancini under mutual agreement.
Joao Mario’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, is currently in Lisbon and it appears his terms will evolve into a conclusion, as the deal is expected to be completed in a week’s time. It was reported by Portuguese source Record, and corroborated by Italian Gazzetta dello Sport who feel that the improved offer by Inter Milan should see them succeed in closing the deal. Earlier, it appeared as if it would be very difficult to convince Sporting’s hard stanced President Bruno de Carvalho into selling the midfielder.
Joao Mario’s value has certainly shot up since the end of last season, as his vital performances helped Portugal in its unlikely UEFA Euro 2016 cup win in France. His performances rewarded him with a host of admirers across Europe. He made appearances in all the matches under Fernando Santos except one.
The Sporting youth team graduate has scored 14 goals in 75 appearances for Sporting Clube de Portugal and besides spending his entire professional football career at the club, he spent a loan spell at Vitoria de Setubal. Joao Mario does not make a seemingly high profile transfer figure, but amongst other prominent achievements, he represented Portugal at the UEFA European U-21 Championship in 2015 where his team finished as runners-up.