Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario has left Inter after agreeing with the club to a termination of his contract.
This is confirmed by the club’s official site, who announce that an agreement has been reached with the player and that his time with the club has ended.
The 28-year-old is believed to be a player who the Nerazzurri have hoped to offload in the summer, with his wages considered to be too high for a player not in the first-team plans for next season.
With one year left on his contract the club had intended to sell the player for a fee, and the player had initially hoped to make his loan spell at Sporting CP from last season permanent.
However, talks between Inter and Sporting fell apart over Sporting’s unwillingness to meet the Nerazzurri’s valuation for the midfielder.
Benfica came in with an offer for the player and jumped to the head of the queue for his signature, and it is believed that he will join Sporting’s Lisbon rivals imminently.
The midfielder’s departure is thought to be in lieu of a direct sale from Inter to Benfica, with Sporting threatening legal action based on a clause prohibiting his sale to one of their domestic rivals under financial penalty, though the Portuguese club still have an agreement in principal that they owe a fee for him to the Nerazzurri.
