Serie A giants Inter Milan reportedly came agonizingly close to completing the signing of Al-Ittihad star Moussa Diaby last month.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport via FCInter1908, the player was desperate to join the San Siro outfit and was pushing for a move.
Cristian Chivu was hellbent on reinforcing the right wing amid Denzel Dumfries’ lengthy spell in the pits.
Therefore, Inter were scouring the market for replacements, with Moussa Diaby emerging as one of the club’s top targets.
Furthermore, the Serie A pacesetters had even reached a verbal agreement with the Frenchman.
However, the move fell through.
Why Inter Milan Failed to Sign Al-Ittihad Speed Demon Moussa Diaby
Despite convincing Diaby to return to European football 18 months after swapping Aston Villa for Riyadh, Inter ended up empty-handed.
Indeed, their hopes of signing the 26-year-old on loan with an option to buy came a cropper, as Al-Ittihad rejected that deal structure.
Instead, the Saudis were only willing to negotiate an outright sale.
Meanwhile, Chivu’s men were unprepared to include a mandatory buyout clause, causing talks to collapse.
First of all they weren’t Chivu’s men. Marotta and Ausilio are responsible for transfers.
Second, all of our transfers fell through because instead of negotiating with the club first we speak to player to make him force the move. It will not work. That or our world famous loan with option will not work when other clubs are spending money and getting deals over the line. Look at Lookman and Ederson going to Atletico. Oaktree will not spend the money.