Italian agent Sabatino Durante revealed that Inter had the chance to sign Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo for a small amount early in his career when speaking with Italian media outlet Calciomercato.it yesterday.
“There was an Italian team, Inter, that for a period of three years, from 2000 to 2003, had exclusivity on a hypothetical purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo, a period in which the player was between 15 and 18 years old.
“On 4th and 5th August 2003, I was at the U17 finals in Finland. The Nerazzurri, on that occasion, could have signed the Portuguese player for around €3.5 million. Then Manchester United bought him for €18 million, then he went to Spain.
“When he was older, then, he came to Italy with Juventus, where he is still able to make a difference.”
The agent touched on how strong players do not initially choose to join an Italian team.
“Strong players, in the first place, do not come to Italy. Lautaro Martinez came to Inter because Atletico Madrid, which had almost closed a deal for the Argentine, decided to opt for a main striker, when Diego Costa returned.
“If they arrive in Serie A it’s by chance.”
The 23-year-old Lautaro, who is contracted to the Nerazzurri until 2023, was close to a move to Catalan giants Barcelona earlier this year. The Blaugrana were incredibly keen to sign him to replace the aging Luis Suarez.
Barcelona did reach an agreement with Lautaro regarding personal terms, but failed to pay his €111 million release clause in July and could not find an agreement with Inter regarding a different deal for the remainder of the transfer window.
The Nerazzurri are now planning to offer Lautaro a new contract with increased wages and a removal or large increase of the release clause, as the team want to secure one of their stars.
