EXCLUSIVE Romano: Inter's secret swoop for Banega
The best transfer deals are the ones that are kept secret till the very end. Inter are very close to reeling in a heck of a talent in Ever Banega, whose contract with Sevilla expires in summer, and who has long been on Juventus' radar. Not the youngest, the 27-year-old has enjoyed a second life in Spain after returning to play in Argentina with Newell's Old Boys, so much so that he has also attracted interest from AC Milan and AS Roma.
Director of Sport Piero Ausilio has an informal agreement with Banega's agent: a €2.6/€2.7 million a year deal with bonuses, which is more than the €2.2 or so that the Argentine earns right now at the Sanchez Pizjuan.
Problem is, Sevilla haven't agreed to let him go yet: DS Monchi is hoping for a last-gasp contract extension, though it would be very difficult, if not impossible. The Nerazzurri would be interested in Banega even if they had to wait till summer... when he will be available on a Bosman.
We can say, therefore, that Inter are closing in on Banega, and need to discuss bonuses with the Argentine, who originally wanted 3 million a year in his deal. The Beneamata is hoping to make up for that with bonuses. It turns out that Piero Ausilio actually began chasing the Argentine in December, when he met El Tanguito's agents on one of his trips to Spain. After that, Inter met Banega's team in Milan.
The former Newell's player was tempted to try his hand at Italian football... though it bizzarrelly emerges that neither Juventus nor Milan had ever directly contacted him! This allowed Inter to slip in and - potentially - beat her bitter rivals to a very talented playmaker.
Fabrizio Romano (Fabrizio Romano), translated by Edo Dalmonte (@edodalmonte)
