Inter should think twice before trying to move on from Samir Handanovic, at least if you believe the Nerazzurri’s former goalkeeper Ivano Bordon.
Handanovic has improved his form since the start of the season and become a key part of Inter’s charge towards the Serie A title.
Despite this, Inter are expected to seek a long-term replacement for the Slovenian in the summer transfer window, with fresh reports linking them to Udinese’s Juan Musso yesterday.
But Bordon thinks Handanovic has a lot still to give, telling Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview for today’s print edition: “He can still keep going for many years.
“Handanovic has a great physique and lots of quality.
“He’s just equaled my appearance record at Inter (382), but I hope he beats my record for not going 686 minutes without conceding a goal, which has stood since 1980.”
Inter are on course to win their first league title since 2010, with Antonio Conte’s side now 11 points clear of AC Milan at the top of the table.
Asked where the decisive moment was in the Nerazzurri’s season, Bordon said: “I was hopeful after Inter beat Juventus (in January), but the turning point was when they beat AC Milan in the derby.”
Bordon, who made 388 appearances for Inter between 1969 and 1983, also sung Conte’s praises and advised Inter on where they needed to strengthen ahead of next season’s UEFA Champions League.
“Conte reminds me of Eugenio Bersellini (Inter’s Serie A title-winning coach in 1980), because he was a very hard taskmaster as well,” he explained.
“He’s built a solid team and developed youngsters like Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni.
“Aside from Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, I like Achraf Hakimi a lot as well.
“Inter could begin a winning cycle now, but they need three quality signings for Europe.
“I’d think most of all about a back-up for Lukaku, but my dream signing would be… Kylian Mbappe at PSG.”
