According to the Italian media "Milan Sports Newspaper", Inter Milan President Zhang Kangyang has basically reached an agreement with Oaktree Capital on the issue of deferring the repayment of the 275 million euro loan, and the other party is not willing to take over Inter, and Zhang Kangyang will continue to serve as the chairman of the club.
In May 2021, in order to help the club tide over the financial crisis, Zhang Kangyang chose to borrow 275 million euros from Oaktree Capital as collateral with Inter Milan at an interest rate of 12% for three years.
Unfortunately, Zhang Kangyang was unable to repay the loan principal and interest totaling 380 million euros before May 20 this year, so Zhang Kangyang asked Oaktree Capital to allow him to pay 105 million euros in interest upfront and refinance the 275 million euros of principal at an interest rate of 16% or more.
To tell the truth, Oaktree Capital once coveted the thriving Inter, but there are three reasons why it still can't get its wish:
The first is that Zhang Kangyang inserted a valuation clause in the loan, and if Oaktree Capital takes over Inter, it may be necessary to pay Zhang Kangyang up to about 800 million euros in cash, which is not in their interest.
Second, the global economy is sluggish, and the offer for Inter does exist, but it is not high, not even 1.2 billion euros, and Oaktree Capital cannot maximize its benefits even if it resells the club.
The third is that Oaktree Capital is not professional in operating the team, rather than carrying this burden on its own, it is better to let the more professional Zhang Kangyang team continue to carry the burden forward, which can better ensure the vital interests of Oaktree Capital.
It is worth mentioning that the success of Zhang Kangyang's deferred repayment negotiation is not the words of Milan Sports Newspaper, and Inter's team reporter Guaro and other celebrities have also endorsed the news, and the reliability is still quite large.
Although Zhang Kangyang's continued leadership of Inter is good news for fans, especially Chinese fans, it can only be regarded as a helpless choice for Inter.
Why?
Because Oaktree Capital did not resell Inter, it avoided this century-old club from falling into the hands of some speculators, some of whom would even be worse than Tohir back then, and Inter would be completely reduced to a cash-out tool if it fell into their hands, and it would be difficult for more than ten years or even decades to return to the top.
Zhang Kangyang continues to serve as the chairman of the club, it can only be said that Inter's operation strategy in recent years will be continued, including Marotta, Osirio and other senior managers will not be lost, coach Inzaghi Jr. can also stay, the team has the opportunity to move forward steadily and strive for more honors.
However, we must note that Oaktree Capital only agreed to Zhang Kangyang's deferred repayment for 1-2 years, and there was no longer transition time, let alone that the money did not have to be repaid even if it was invested.
I have to admit that we are sometimes very envious of Juventus, because as long as they lack money, they have backers to spend money, and Inter's parent company Suning has no ability to continue to inject capital and repay loans on behalf of them, Inter's financial situation will still be very difficult, and hidden dangers still exist.
Therefore, judging from the current situation, the best way out for Inter Milan can still be acquired by an owner or consortium that has real strength and can love blue and black like Moratti and Zhang Kangyang, which can not only effectively solve the debt problem, but also formulate a long-term and stable operation strategy to ensure Inter's competitiveness in Serie A and even in Europe in the future.
It's a pity that such a good thing is not Inter's turn for the time being, neither American capital nor Middle Eastern consortiums have yet to look at the Nerazzurri's will, and Inter can only reluctantly continue to stay in Zhang Kangyang's hands.
What is certain is that after winning the Serie A championship this season, Zhang Kangyang will choose to cooperate with new capital again, or even sell the club as a whole.
But if there is still no potential buyer, Zhang Kangyang can really only rely on the sale of star players to maintain operations and pay off debts, although many fans do not want to see that day, but Zhang Kangyang and Inter can have more choices?