Inter on Vicario: the negotiations with Tottenham

The future, now. Inter are moving forward with their work, preparing the succession to Yann Sommer who has reached the last year of his contract and is denouncing the physiological limits of age. In the pre-Christmas meetings between managers, on the top floor of the Viale della Liberazione headquarters, the need to invest in a highly reliable doorman emerged. Not young, not old. In any case, an expert, as Sommer himself was in the summer of 2023 when he arrived from Germany after a semester as Neuer’s replacement at Bayern. The famous guarantee, the insurance on the stability of the ranking.

Guly’s desire

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Marotta and Ausilio have drawn up a list of five good profiles to explore. For next season, we mean, not for January, a market which for Inter “will be determined by any opportunities that arise”. Among the favourites, the Italian Guglielmo Vicario takes over, whose surname contains a contradiction in terms: he would not be hired to be anyone’s deputy, he would actually be the undisputed starter. Inter believe he has the right requirements to play in a top team, including his CV: he has just won the Europa League as a protagonist in Tottenham, he has acquired mastery of international theaters by making his debut in the Champions League and for the national team. Born in 1996, he would reach the age of 30 to realize an old professional dream: as a young man he was inspired by the Slovenian Samir Handanovic, who was even captain of Inter.

The state of things

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At the moment no negotiations have been opened, it should be noted. Neither with Tottenham, who also purchased him in 2023 from Empoli for 20 million plus bonuses, nor with the player’s entourage, who had negotiated the possible transfer with Inter two years ago, when Sommer was then chosen. But time, with its deviations and its construction sites, can adjust the path of destiny with a little delay. Vicario’s desire to return to Italy and finally join Inter is well known, with all the gratitude for the English experience which improved him as a man and as a goalkeeper. All that remains is to satisfy the requests of Tottenham, who obviously are in no hurry or need to sell one of the strategic players, bound among other things by a contract that expires in 2028.

Strategy

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Inter for their part do not want to lose out on the goalkeeper, who also represents a priority in the plan to strengthen the team. The hope is to limit the investment to around 20 million, which in any case would yield a nice capital gain for the English after three seasons. Not easy, not impossible. Support can come from the person concerned, who has already linked up with Barella, Bastoni, Dimarco and Pio Esposito during the national team retreat. If Vicario himself had to push for his return to his homeland, he would be satisfied in some way.

Hierarchies

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In the meantime, Chivu hopes to no longer be betrayed by Sommer, who he supported in the most complicated moment and who he continues to consider the number 1. Sommer will also play tomorrow in Genoa, in the stadium that launched the other goalkeeper on the team, namely Josep Martinez. And he will play the Super Cup in Arabia, barring any surprises: he will turn 37 on Wednesday, the day on which Inter will embark for Riyadh, 48 hours before the semi-final against Bologna. For Martinez, for whom the club spent 13.5 million (plus 2 in bonuses), there could be room in January, when the busy cycle of commitments will advise Chivu to alternate the two goalkeepers. But at the end of the season he could be the one to ask to be sold: if Sommer’s departure was followed by the arrival of another colleague, it would no longer make much sense to continue the adventure at Inter. After all, at 28-29 years old, he would have no shortage of opportunities to rebuild his career elsewhere.