Rumours surrounding Inter’s owners Suning are creating an unhelpful distraction for Antonio Conte and his players, at least according to an Italian media report today.
There has been no shortage of speculation regarding Suning and potential fresh investment into the club, with the Chinese e-commerce giants reported to be in talks with British investment firm BC Partners over acquiring a minority stake.
As per La Repubblica’s print edition, the off-field rumours do not help the team at a time where results are not exactly brilliant, with Inter taking just one point from their last two games in Serie A.
The Nerazzurri must improve defensively if they wish to compete for the Scudetto this season, having conceded as many goals as 12th-placed Fiorentina despite being some 19 points better off in second place.
Moreover, Inter must improve mentally, especially when it comes to playing in big games, with Conte’s side having fared far from well in them this season.
The win over Napoli aside, Inter lost to AC Milan and drew with Lazio, Atalanta and Roma – losing the lead on all three occasions – while also performing terribly in the UEFA Champions League as they were eliminated at the group stage.
The fact Inter are short on cash at the moment does not provide much in the way of certainty at this time and the club have in fact only paid two months of salaries for this season so far.
In addition to the negotiations with BC Partners, there is also speculation at present regarding the future of Inter’s training ground, with La Repubblica suggesting it could cease to be called the Suning Training Centre after they signed a sponsorship agreement last year.
Elsewhere, Suning’s name is no longer included in that of Jiangsu Suning, their other club in China, who are now known as just Jiangsu FC following restrictions imposed by the Chinese government.