EXCLUSIVE Romano: Guarin is blocking Inter's bid for Soriano
Fredy Guarin is closer and closer to moving to China, according to our latest reports. Jiangsu Suning have gone from expressing an interest in Eder, to buying Luiz Adriano... to making a staggering €8 milion-a-year offer to the Colombian international.
If Guarin were to leave, who would Inter opt for? The first name on Piero Ausilio's list is that of Roberto Soriano. Inter have already met his agents... though they just happen to also represent Andrea Ranocchia, whom the Beneamata is trying to fob off in January in order to build up a transfer kitty.
Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero is looking for a sum in the region of €15 million for his star box-to-box midfielder.
Soriano, 24, likes the idea of moving to the San Siro, and the first contacts between the two parties have made it apparent that they shouldn't have any problem reaching an agreement for a three-and-a-half year deal, worth €1.5 million a year plus bonuses.
The Italo-German midfielder would almost quadruple his salary from the €900.000 he earns at the moment - and to think that he only earned half a milion before last summer... Trouble is, Sampdoria have no intention of selling him cheaply, and the Nerazzurri need cash in order to proceed. Namely, the sum they were hoping to get from Jiangsu Suning for Fredy Guarin.
Guarin, however, is far from sold on the notion of moving to China, and would like a few days to mul things over. And he'll need time to obtain a Chinese VISA, too.
Even more problematic:: will Jiangsu be wiling to fork out the €14/15 million Inter are asking for immediately? Another problem is that the CPL club's official bid hasn't actually been faxed to Milan yet.
To sum up, Guarin's departure is far from being a certainty. And Inter are left in limbo, with Soriano in stand-by.
Fabrizio Romano, translated by Edo Dalmonte (@edodalmonte)
