Football Benchmark founder and CEO Andrea Sartori gave his valuation of the Nerazzurri, as Inter Milan has been reportedly place for sale by owner Steven Zhang.
After a report in the Financial Times this week that stated that Inter Milan owner is looking to sell the club, Football Benchmark CEO Andrea Sartori analyzed the club’s asking price.
“The eventual €1.2 billion valuation is realistic and it is in line with Inter’s valuation by Football Benchmark of €1 billion from January 2022.
“There is a squad worth €600 million, a brand worth €400 million and a training ground worth €400-500 million,” the football financial expert said to Gazzetta dello Sport.
“There are 2 potential upsides that the new investor has to take into consideration: the new stadium and the potential launch of the SuperLeague, which no one is taking about,” the Football Benchmark founder and CEO continued.
“[Zhang] has planned an influx of capital worth €142 million and an amortization of loans worth €411 million, of that €347 million has been converted to equity.
“This won’t show in the previous fiscal year, but to be certain we have to wait until the annual budget is approved on October 28.
“The Zhang family will have invested a total of €648 million by June 30, 2021,” concluded the football financial expert.
Steven Zhang, whose family owns Suning.com, purchased 70 percent of Inter Milan back in 2016 for a reported value of $307 million.
The Chinese businessman has reportedly invested €800 million since his family bought the Nerazzurri back in 2016.
In 2021, Zhang negotiated a €275 million loan with the American capital hedge fund group, Oaktree, and the first installment is expected to be paid back in 2024.
It is under these conditions that Zhang to instruct third-party mediators to search for a potential new buyers before the Chinese ownership has to pay back the first installment of the loan from Oaktree.
Inter’s ownership situation has been a subject of speculation since Zhang accepted the loan from Oaktree, as it was rumoured earlier in the year that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was interested in purchasing the club.
