Inter Milan attempted to prevent Juventus from signing Lille defender Tiago Djalo at the eleventh hour, but were unsuccessful.
This according to Italian news outlet Gazzetta.it.
23-year-old defender Djalo is set to join Juventus this week.
The Bianconeri will sign the Portuguese for a relatively low fee of €3.5 million from Lille. This reflects the fact that Djalo only has six months remaining on his contract with the Ligue 1 club.
Inter had been aiming to sign Djalo on a free transfer next summer.
The Nerazzurri had even had an informal agreement with the player and his representatives.
But Lille were determined to avoid this scenario. They made no secret of the fact that they wanted to cash in on the 23-year-old this month while they still had the chance.
And it was Juventus who swooped in and agreed a deal with both Lille and Djalo.
The Bianconeri’s offer of playing time was key for the player.
Djalo was facing the prospect of being left on the bench by Lille until the end of the season if he did not accept a move away this month.
Therefore, this convinced Djalo to leave to join the Bianconeri.
Inter Unsuccessful In Attempt To Prevent Juventus From Hijacking Tiago Djalo Deal
The Gazzetta reveal that even after Djalo had decided on Juventus, Inter tried to get him to reverse course.
The Nerazzurri had considered signing the Portuguese this month.
Then, their plan was to send Djalo out to Genoa for regular playing time over the second half of the season.
The Grifone would have welcomed the 23-year-old as a temporary replacement for Radu Dragusin.
Following the end of this season, Djalo would come into Inter’s first team.
But there, the Portuguese would still face a fair bit of competition for playing time.
Therefore, the opportunity to play regularly with Juventus was a decisive factor in Djalo’s decision. He stuck with his new choice of signing for the Bianconeri.
