Inter’s upcoming Champions League Round of 16 tie with Porto could represent a key turning point in the club’s fate this season.
The Nerazzurri are in a difficult spot this campaign, being 15 points behind league leaders Napoli and just five points ahead of fifth place Lazio, making a top four finish still an important and difficult goal.
Inter turned their season around in the first half of the year after finding success against Barcelona in the Champions League group stage, and the European front could again prove vitally important to the club’s near-future.
As detailed by La Gazzetta dello Sport, beating Porto and reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League would bring Inter around €20m total, between UEFA income, sponsor bonuses and TV rights.
This is money that wasn’t budgeted by the Nerazzurri’s management at the beginning of the season, with the club expecting a third place finish in the group after the draw.
Knocking out Porto would allow Inter to avoid selling a second top player in the summer – one will be sold regardless – and could give them enough resources to pick up a player or two with a high salary, like soon-to-be free agent Marcus Thuram.