Skriniar towards PSG: Inter, transfer market dilemma

How things change in a handful of days: hopes, scenarios, balances, future. From waiting for Milan Skriniar’s response to the draft renewal of the contract to the dilemma that will involve ownership and management for next week, with a boiling climate. Not only will the Slovak not stay in Milan – optimism in this sense had vanished for over a month -, but various issues place Inter at a crossroads: what to do with the defender?

Destination Paris

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Neither the player nor the agent have spoken officially about PSG, but it is precisely from the French capital that a certain certainty about Skriniar’s next team is leaking. Coach Christophe Galtier, for example, has no problems exposing himself in interviews and press conferences, leaving only the timing doubt: when will the 27-year-old go to Paris Saint-Germain? Here, this dilemma will be increasingly pressing from today until the end of the winter transfer market session, because any immediate farewell involves many components that must be put together and considered in a single framework. Which has all the air of being a rather gloomy painting.

In the field

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We can start from an axiom that leaves no doubts: losing a starter would be a technical drama for Simone Inzaghi. The coach, in an already uncrowded department, would find himself with only three full-backs with no room for manoeuvre, therefore in a perpetual emergency. Of course, a substitute (Tiago Djalò?) would arrive immediately in Appiano Gentile, but there is no mention of instantly interchangeable gears and the time needed to adapt should be taken into account, between team philosophy and the specifics of a new championship. This principle would only lapse if the second half of the season were assumed as an exclusive reconstruction towards next year, a long preparatory work for 2023/2024. But, with two competitions still to go and a Champions League qualification to be won, it would be half suicide.

Overs

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The point of view of society is quite different, above all on an economic level. In the summer Skriniar had in fact been put on the market as a sacrifice on the altar of the balance sheet, but a farewell on a free transfer would in fact mean having lost one of the strongest defenders in the league in vain. For this reason, an immediate transfer cannot be ruled out – far from it. Of course, an offer is needed and there is no enthusiasm for the idea of ​​sitting at the table with the rapacious PSG, but at the moment the Nerazzurri are at a disadvantage. There is a risk of involuntary friction between the player and the club, teammates or fans and certainly Steven Zhang cannot ask for the moon from the French. The gap is between 10 and 20 million euros: it is more probable that we get close to the first figure, while the second would be mouth-watering.

The knot

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In short, time is running out. Seven days are not enough to take one of the two roads of the crossroads and above all to give a concrete follow up to the choice undertaken. In case of Skriniar’s permanence, taking for granted the professionalism that has always distinguished him, one should actually concentrate only on the pitch, asking for unconditional support from the fans and paying attention to a precarious balance. Maybe the captain’s armband could find a new arm, yes. In case of farewell, however, here are a few millions in your pocket and a new pawn to shape in record time. Tooth away, pain away? The dilemma is far more complicated than extracting a molar.