Bologna Sporting Director Marco Di Vaio admits that he never really expected to sell striker Marko Arnautovic to Inter Milan this summer.

Speaking in a press conference, as reported by FCInterNews, Di Vaio explained the circumstances of the Austrian’s departure.

Last month, Inter ended their search for a new striker by signing Arnautovic.

The 34-year-old Austrian international didn’t necessarily represent the most ambitious option in the position.

Rather, Arnautovic arrived as a player with two years of Serie A experience and reliable quality. The idea was to bolster the position with a strong backup without spending too much.

Inter were not the first team in Serie A to target Arnautovic since he returned to Serie A with Bologna in 2021.

Reportedly, Juventus have been sniffing around the Austrian.

And then this summer, AC Milan were reportedly keen on Arnautovic, at least for a time. They saw him as a potential replacement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic following the Swede’s retirement from football.

Bologna Sporting Director Admits Arnautovic Sale To Inter A Surprise

However, after initially considering Arnautovic as an Ibrahimovic replacement, the Rossoneri dropped their interest.

This seemed to be the end of it, according to Sartori. Bologna prepared to keep the former West Ham United, Stoke City, and Werder Bremen in their squad for this season.

Arnautovic has certainly been an important player for the Rossoblu across his two seasons at the club.

Therefore, a departure late in the transfer window would leave the Emilians club without their attacking talisman.

But then Roma started to show a real interest in Arnautovic. And in the end, it was Inter who brought Arnautovic – who spent a season with the Nerazzurri in 2009-10 – back to the club.

Di Vaio said that “Based on what we’d said to each other, I didn’t expect that we’d sell Arnautovic.”

“Inter never considered him a major target,” he continued.

“Therefore, it came as a surprise. We didn’t expect to sell Schouten either, so there were two surprises in other words.”