Benfica have reached an agreement to sign Inter Milan target Anatoliy Trubin from Shakhtar Donetsk.
This according to Ukrainian news outlet SportArena, via FCInterNews, who report that the Portuguese champions have managed to convince Shakhtar on a deal to sign the 21-year-old by offering a significant chunk of future resale value on the player.
Ukrainian international goalkeeper Trubin has been a major target for Inter this summer.
The Nerazzurri’s strategy has been to sign Yann Sommer as the short-term replacement for Andre Onana. Then, in addition, they’ve aimed to bring in a younger option to reinforce the position for the future.
Trubin has reportedly been Inter’s top target in this pursuit.
And the 21-year-old has reportedly made no secret of his desire to join the Nerazzurri. He had agreed personal terms on a five-year deal.
However, an agreement with Shakhtar has proven to be far more elusive.
The two clubs have been miles apart on a fee for the Ukrainian. Inter have put forward no more than €10-12 million in terms of their offer, whilst Shakhtar have reportedly held out for as high as €20 million.
Benfica Reach Agreement With Shakhtar For Anatoliy Trubin
Benfica initially found themselves in a similar position to Inter.
The Eagles did not want to go to high in terms of their bid for Trubin, particularly considering that the young keeper’s contract with Shakhtar runs out at the end of next June.
However, the Portuguese have found an alternate way to convince Shkhtar.
According to SportArena, they will only pay a cash fee of €10 million plus €1 million in add-ons for Trubin. However, they have crucially also offered the Ukrainians a 40% slice of a fee for whenever they sell the keeper.
This means that the eventual payday for Shakhtar could still be quite high despite the initial fee being right around what Inter were willing to pay.
Now, the question is whether Benfica can come to an agreement on personal terms with Trubin and his representatives.
