Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu admits he often talks to Nerazzurri target Franck Kessié: ‘He knows Inter are as big as Barcelona.’
The Ivory Coast international, a former Milan midfielder, has been linked with a move to the Stadio Meazza at the end of the season.
Inter have somehow managed to replace Marcelo Brozovic with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Calhanoglu, who has released an interview with Gazzetta discussing, among other things, the future of Kessié, one of his former teammates at Milan.
“He is a friend and a top player and here champions are always welcome,” said the Turkey international.
“We speak a lot, it’s true. He plays for a big club, but he knows Inter are the same.”
READ MORE – CALHANOGLU FEELS UNDERRATED AND ‘CLOSE TO MODRIC AND DE BRUYNE’
Calhanoglu joined the Nerazzurri as a free agent from Milan in 2021, replacing Christian Eriksen after the Dane’s dramatic incident during Euro 2020.
The former Rossoneri star admits Inter fans were sceptical about his signing at the beginning, but they soon started to love him.
“Of course, they had doubts at the beginning. It wasn’t easy to replace a great player like Eriksen coming from Milan,” he said.
“But I was sure that things would change and that fans would appreciate me. The love has been spontaneous, with no need for theatrical gestures. It came up slowly, without a real spark.”
Kessié also left Milan at the end of his contract, joining Barcelona as a free agent in the summer of 2022.
Calhanoglu, 29, has three goals and six assists in 32 appearances across all competitions this season.
I think that’s more a sign of how far Barcelona have fallen, rather than the ambition of Inter.
Inter are also planning to sign Ibra and Giroud to replace Lukaku and Dzeko next season.