Inter’s owners Suning are at a crossroads in terms of what to do with the club, a report in the Italian media warned today.
As per Gazzetta dello Sport’s print edition, Suning must find €200-250 million before the end of this season to guarantee the Nerazzurri’s economic stability.
They are hoping to do this without selling the club to new owners, though, and have identified a solution which would enable them to avoid it.
The plan involves securing a loan to cover Inter’s financial obligations in the short term, and Suning are in talks with US debt-related fund Bain Capital over this.
The loan would act as a ‘bridge’ towards more prosperous economic times and ensure Suning do not need to sell a majority stake at Inter to another party, such as BC Partners.
The British-based private equity fund are still in contention to buy the club, though, having been in talks with Suning for several weeks.
Should Suning sell Inter to BC Partners, the Milan-based paper explained, the parties could agree on an ‘earn-out’ clause to ensure the Chinese retail giant avoids making a heavy loss on their investment.
The clause would see BC Partners guarantee Suning a ‘bonus’ extra payment in addition to the agreed fee for Inter, which would be dependent on the club achieving certain results after its ownership change.
A choice must be made soon, given the many deadlines to be met by the end of next month.
Time is running out for Suning to make their minds up and find the money Inter need.
