Inter’s players have no intention of agreeing to wage cuts after winning the Serie A title, according to a report in the Italian media today.
Corriere dello Sport’s print edition said the Nerazzurri’s squad would not even consider the proposal being offered to them – giving up two months’ wages – by Steven Zhang and the club’s directors.
Inter’s players believe they deserve better after making it to the end of a never-ending season, the report claimed, with hardly any holiday time before the end of the last campaign and the start of this one.
They are said to be convinced that a wage cut is the opposite of what they’re due, having led Inter back to the top of Serie A for the first time since 2010.
Zhang will be at Appiano Gentile with Beppe Marotta and Alessandro Antonello to begin discussing cost-cutting measures with the squad, according to the Rome-based paper.
Inter want to reduce costs by 10-20% in a bid to stabilise their finances, while they continue to work on a €250-270 million financing deal to see them through to the end of the season.
Zhang would save €35 million if he could secure agreements for wage cuts, which would be extremely helpful for Suning after Inter’s accounts were heavily damaged by a season with no fans in stadiums.
Antonio Conte may also be asked to cut his salary along with his staff, although Zhang will not discuss this with Inter’s boss until after Saturday’s match at Juventus.
