After much speculation throughout the summer, Mauro Icardi has now been put up for sale by Inter Milan. While the club do not want to sell their captain and star player, they have been forced to due to their dire financial situation.
Speaking to calciomercato.com, Icardi’s wife Wanda Nara said “From what I can see, Inter have put Icardi up for sale. There are many clubs interested. We will evaluate the situation with all due respect for everyone.
“Mauro would be very sad to leave Inter, but we’ve understood the club’s economic situation and evidently they cannot hold Icardi back”.
It had previously been reported that the Argentine had a release clause in his contract and West Ham – among other clubs – were keen to match it. However, Nara has quashed these rumours and perhaps the Hammers’ chances of getting him by saying that “there is no release clause in his contract and we hope Inter won’t ask for a sum that is outside the market value, but rather suited to his contract”.
Inter Milan have reportedly received enquiries from clubs throughout Europe, including giants PSG, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus. Spurs are also interested. However, the only formal bid so far is believed to have come from West Ham in the region of €40m which was rejected by the club, who want between €60m and €70m.
Icardi would be an excellent addition for the Hammers but it is incredibly unlikely they would be able to match Inter’s asking price and compete with the other interested clubs. With Carlos Bacca expected to join within the next two weeks, it looks like Icardi could be heading elsewhere in Europe.
