Striker Marcus Thuram has seen his value jump to around €70 million since joining Inter Milan on a free transfer in the summer.

This is the view in today’s print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews.

When Inter signed Thuram following the expiration of his contract with Borussia Monchengladbach, they had to beat out a fair bit of competition to do so.

The Frenchman’s availability on a free transfer made him an attractive target.

After all, Thuram had been cresting in form for a couple seasons at Gladbach. This had earned him a regular place for the French national team, for whom he played in the World Cup final.

Therefore, it was always clear that Thuram was about as high-level of a player as a club could hope to sign on a free transfer.

But, the Gazzetta notes, it was not obvious just how much that would be the case.

Marcus Thuram Value Jumps To €70M After Joining Inter On Free Transfer

Bayern Munich had been linked with Thuram for a few months.

This perhaps represents the natural order of things in the Bundesliga, where the Bavarian giants look to hoover up the best talent in the division.

And there had also been reports of teams in the Premier League coming forward.

And when it finally came down to the summer transfer window, Inter’s two main rivals appeared to be city rivals AC Milan and French champions Paris Saint-Germain.

The Nerazzurri won the race for Thuram’s signature.

And this has proven to be a real transfer coup for Inter.

In just three months at Inter, Thuram has emerged as a top-level striker at a Serie A and European level.

The Gazzetta notes that Thuram’s deal with Inter includes a release clause worth €95 million. That was included at the player’s request.

At the time the Frenchman signed, that perhaps looked like a fancifully high figure.

But no longer.

Thuram may not yet be a €95 million striker. But €70 million would absolutely not be out of the question.

And that is certainly quite remarkable for a player who arrived at Inter without the Nerazzurri having to pay a cent on a transfer fee.