Inter Milan’s pursuit of a goalkeeper is ending after they struck a deal to sign Sampdoria’s Emil Audero on a season-long loan.
According to Calciomercato, the 26-year-old will join the Nerazzurri on loan for an initial fee of €1 million with an option to buy for a further €7m.
The parties found the basic agreement last night and ironed out the final details today as they held separate talks over Filip Stankovic’s move to Luigi Ferraris.
Sampdoria were initially unwilling to let Audero leave, considering he was a rare bright spot in the club’s otherwise disastrous 2022/23 Serie A season, which resulted in their first relegation in over a decade.
They brought the Italian shot-stopper on loan from Juventus in 2018 before spending €20m to secure his permanent services the following winter.
However, given the circumstances, their bargaining power has been diminished as they cannot afford Audero’s salary after dropping to the second tier.
Inter CEO Beppe Marotta has spotted the opportunity to address the shortage of goalkeepers after Andre Onana and Samir Handanovic departed the club this summer.
Bayern Munich veteran Yann Sommer has been identified as a short-term solution, with the Italians triggering his €6m release clause.
Sommer alone won’t be enough, which is why Inter had hoped to acquire Shakhtar Donetsk’s Anatoliy Trubin before Benfica swept them away with a blitzkrieg operation last week.
Desperate times require desperate measures.
Strapped for options in the market, they’ve focused on a proven Serie A goalkeeper.
Sampdoria won’t end up empty-handed, as they’ve brokered the arrival of the 21-year-old Stankovic, who has been part of Simone Inzaghi’s pre-season squad.
The son of the legendary Inter midfielder Dejan Stankovic will move to Genoa on loan with an option to buy for a reported €5m, although the Nerazzurri will retain the right to re-purchase the youngster.
