In the wake of Piero Ausilio’s comments regarding Joao Cancelo’s future before Inter’s defeat to Sassuolo on Saturday evening (“the mercato for us begins on 20 May and we’ll be looking to improve this team, with or without him”), FcInterNews has compiled a list of the potential alternatives to the Portuguese full-back should the Nerazzurri prove unable to sign him permanently from Valencia this summer.
The first name suggested by the Italian outlet as a possible replacement for Cancelo is Roma full-back Bruno Peres, a player Luciano Spalletti coached in the capital during the 2016-17 season.
Peres is said to have been offered to the Nerazzurri during the last few days after news of their struggle to keep hold of Cancelo began to emerge, but at the moment he does not represent a first choice neither for Spalletti nor for sporting director Piero Ausilio.
The second player on the list, which is not said to follow any particular order of preference, is Alessandro Florenzi, another Roma player who has recently been offered to Inter via his agent.
The Italian’s current contract with the Giallorossi is due to expire in 2019 and as of yet no agreement has been reached between the parties over a renewal, with a reported gap of €1.5 million between the player’s wage demands and the club’s offer.
Should Roma and Florenzi not reach a compromise in the coming weeks Inter could become a serious possibility for the player.
The third option mentioned is Colombian international Santiago Arias, currently at PSV Eindhoven, whom Ausilio and co. are said to be monitoring closely.
Arias has been strongly linked with a move to Juventus in recent weeks but FcInterNews believe the Bianconeri are currently more likely to sign Matteo Darmian from Manchester United, which would free the player up for any other clubs interested in him.
The fourth player mooted is Atletico Madrid full-back Sime Vrsaljko, whom Inter have already followed closely in the past. Vrsaljko’s agent Beppe Riso would reportedly be willing to bring the Croatian to San Siro as he would be certain of being first choice, but Atletico’s high asking price coupled with the player’s wages (currently €3 million per season) could make it a difficult deal to strike.
Finally there is Bartosz Bereszynski, a player Napoli are said to be keen on at the moment. Inter would apparently be able to sign him for €12-13 million plus a couple of players of Sampdoria’s liking.
Despite these names, though, FcInterNews reiterates however that for the moment Inter’s priority is still to keep hold of Cancelo. Only after that becomes impossible would they set about securing a replacement.
