Inter have contact with Sporting CP over their intention to sell Joao Mario to Benfica on a permanent basis.
This according to today’s print edition of Lisbon-based newspaper Record, who report that the Nerazzurri have given the Lisbon club two opportunities to pre-empt the offer made for the midfielder by Lisbon rivals Benfica.
Inter are hoping to offload the 28-year-old this summer, and had been in talks with Sporting over making the player’s loan at the club from last season permanent, but talks fell apart over Sporting’s unwillingness to meet the Nerazzurri’s valuation.
With the Nerazzurri listening to other opportunities, Benfica have jumped to the head of the queue with a €7.5 million offer which meets Inter’s valuation of the player.
With agreement between both clubs and the player, the midfielder’s move to Benfica on a permanent basis appears to be close, but Sporting still have a right to pre-empt any offers made for the player from their Poruguese rivals to Inter, with a clause giving them that option having been inserted in the deal that took the player to the Giuseppe Meazza from Sporting in 2017.
In the hopes of honouring this agreement, the Nerazzurri have twice contacted Sporting to inform them of Benfica’s intention of buying the player, and so far Sporting have not budged on the offer of €4 million with a potential additional €1.5 million in add-ons.
Should Inter feel they have satisfied the requirements of the clause, they will be able to go ahead with the sale to Benfica soon.
