Pirelli CEO Marco Tronchetti Provera believes that it would be difficult for Inter to achieve success with numerous minority owners, as majority stakeholders Suning seek investment.
The Chinese retail firm have come under considerable pressure amidst mounting debts at the club, leading to them opening negotiations to sell just five years after taking over.
Another possibility touted has been for Suning to sell a minority stake in order to raise funds to cover outstanding debts, whilst also allowing them to remain at the helm.
In an interview published in yesterday’s newspaper edition of Il Foglio, the CEO of Inter’s kit sponsor Pirelli cautioned against such an approach.
“According to what I have read, my understanding is that Suning intends to support Inter by looking for partners,” Tronchetti Provera claimed.
“Inter still have appeal to investors, we’ll see if it’s a minority stake or not. There are various methods of popular shareholders, such as the widespread ownership at Bayern Munich. However, they have powerful sponsors in the shape of Allianz who can provide guarantees.
“There is a need for a solid investor who provides important resources to operate a football club, and this cannot be guaranteed from popular shareholding, and I am not in favour of a club divided by minority shareholders.”
Suning have owned a majority stake in Inter since purchasing the Nerazzurri in June 2016, but have begun discussions with British based BC Partners and US firm Fortress in recent weeks.