Inter Milan's forward line will usher in a huge change, 4 people may leave the team, and Genoa twin stars are expected to vote
Although it has been a while since the Champions League 1/8 finals were eliminated by Atletico Madrid, many Inter fans and even Inter players and management are still a little uneasy, after all, Inter Milan is in good form this season and has every chance to make up for the regrets of last season. In the two-legged match against Atletico Madrid, Inter had a clear advantage, but the difference in the bench line-up between the two sides ultimately determined the outcome of the game. After learning the hard way, the Inter management decided to make a major change in the team's forward line at the end of the season, and the current forward line could have up to four departures, and the target is not only Taremi, who has already been finalized, but also the Genoa striker duo who has performed well during the national team game.
Inter's current four strikers are Lautaro, Thuram Jr., Arnautovic and Sanchez, of which Lautaro and Thuram Jr. are the main players of the team, and Arnautovic and Sanchez are the substitutes in the striker. Lautaro, who captained Inter this season, has also reached a personal best, scoring 26 goals in 37 appearances for Inter and is worth €110 million. Lautaro's current contract with Inter expires in June 2026 and Inter are actively seeking to renew his contract, with Inter offering a contract with an annual salary of 8 million euros and Lautaro's agent offering 10 million euros, with the two sides likely to agree on a figure of 9 million euros. If the two sides can't complete the contract extension before the summer window opens, then if an offer of more than 100 million euros is put in front of Marotta, then Zhang Kangyang is likely to personally approve the deal.
Thuram Jr. has been a surprise this season, scoring 12 goals and providing seven assists for Inter, and he is one of the few players in Inter's front field with breakthrough and dribbling ability, and he is already worth 60 million euros. Thuram Jr.'s contract with Inter will expire in June 2028, and Inter have no intention of selling Thuram Jr. at present, but if any local tyrant team comes up with an offer of more than 80 million euros in the summer window, I believe Inter will also be happy to copy a deal like Onana.
Arnautovic is on loan from Bologna, but the buyout condition attached to the loan contract (Inter get their first league points in 2024) has been activated, so Inter must buy Arnautovic for 8 million euros at the end of the season. Arnautovic has scored four goals and provided three assists in 28 appearances for Inter this season, and is not only ineffective, but more importantly has suffered frequent injuries and is always sidelined when Inter need him most. And Arnautovic is 34 years old, and his physical condition will only get worse next season, so after the summer window opens, Inter will be more than happy to send him away again as long as there is an offer from the team.
Alexis Sanchez's situation is very similar to Arnautovic's, with three goals and three assists in 26 appearances, and he has suffered injuries frequently. Although Sanchez's form has improved after entering 2024, during the Chilean national team match, Sanchez once again made inappropriate remarks (he will continue to work hard for the Chilean team and be dissatisfied with playing as a substitute at Inter), which basically ruined the possibility of him staying at Inter next season. Alexis Sanchez is 35 years old and his contract with Inter expires at the end of the season, with little chance of a contract extension.
Let's not forget that Inter also have a striker, Correa, who is currently on loan at Marseille. Correa has been worse off than at Inter Milan since his loan spell at Marseille, making just 15 appearances so far this season, with no goals or assists. The buy-out clause attached to his loan contract is that it will be activated automatically as soon as Marseille reach next season's Champions League. Marseille are currently 7th in Ligue 1 with 39 points, four points away from 4th-placed Lille, and with eight league games remaining, Marseille still have the possibility of participating in next season's Champions League. If Marseille qualify for next season's Champions League, they will automatically buy Correa for 10 million euros, and if Marseille do not qualify for next season's Champions League, Inter have said they can reduce the buyout fee to 8 million euros, but this requires Marseille's consent.
Among Inter's five strikers, only Sanchez will definitely leave next season, while the management is still actively trying to find a way to send Arnautovic and Correa away; as for Lautaro and Thuram Jr., if there is no suitable offer, then both will stay, if there is an offer that can impress Inter, then Inter will consider selling one of them, but never both. Therefore, of Inter's five strikers, a maximum of four may leave next season.
Among Inter's striker targets for next season, in addition to Taremi, who has been finalized, the three names that have been reported more recently by the Italian media are Bologna's Zirkze, Genoa's striker twin stars Gudmundsson and Reget. Although Zirkze has performed very well this season and is the most favored by Inter fans, it is unlikely that Inter will bring him in. Zirkze is already worth 40 million euros, and Bayern Munich has a buy-back clause and a pre-emptive purchase clause, and Inter also faces competition from Juventus and AC Milan, the price to bring him in is too great for Inter to be realistic.
In addition, Inter are keeping a close eye on Genoa's attacking duo of Gudmundsson and Retegui. The 26-year-old has scored 12 goals (10 in Serie A) and provided four assists in 29 appearances for Genoa this season, and scored a hat-trick and provided one assist in Iceland's 4-1 win over Israel in the European Championship qualifying play-offs between Iceland and Israel. Gudmundsson is currently valued at 22 million euros and is expected to release Genoa for only 30 million euros, but Inter will also need to face competition from Juventus, and the good news is that Gudmundsson himself wants to stay in Serie A and is more inclined to join Inter.
Gudmundsson's teammate in Genoa, Retegui, is also a long-term target of Inter Milan's attention, the striker from the Argentine league but representing the Italian national team has the shadow of Inter in the transfer to Genoa this season, and it is not ruled out that Inter and Genoa have a gentleman's agreement in the transfer of Retegui. Retegui has made 24 appearances for Genoa this season, contributing eight goals and three assists, and has scored four goals in five appearances for Italy, and is already worth 16 million euros. Inter could only need €20 million to get him, and could even offset some of the cash with vouchers, or even sign Gudmundsson and Regit at the same time if Inter sell one of Lautaro and Thuram Jr.
In addition, Argentine youngster Carboni, who has been on loan at Monza this season, is also likely to return to Inter next season as a fifth striker. As for how many newcomers will arrive, it will be up to Marotta to sell Arnautovic, Sanchez and Correa. Forza inter！
Note: The picture comes from the Internet.