Inter fans are torn over how to deal with Milan Skriniar knowing he will join PSG as a free agent, as while some want the captain’s armband revoked, others promise ‘respect’ and remember how Ivan Perisic fought to the end for his club too.
The defender was in talks for a possible move to Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, but the clubs could not agree on the €20m asking price, as well as giving Inter enough time to find a replacement.
His agent made it clear he will not sign the new contract, so from July 1 will be able to join PSG as a free agent, only a year after the Nerazzurri rejected offers in the region of €60m.
The next five months are therefore going to be tricky, especially as Skriniar is also the captain of the squad.
Some online are calling for him to have that title revoked, while others are even more hard-line and urging Simone Inzaghi to leave him on the bench for the rest of the season.
However, the ultras in the Curva Nord are surprisingly conciliatory and released a statement assuring there will be no protests or insults towards the Slovakia international.
“No rancour for Skriniar. The Curva Nord met with Milan and, after listening to his reasons, decided not to take any stance against his decision to leave Inter.
“The chat with Skriniar was documented in an article in the fanzine that will be released around the derby and will explain what was said. We invite from now the Inter fans to respect a player who, aside from his professional choices, remains in the squad of a team that needs everyone to get the best possible results.”
It would seem that the version of events presented by Skriniar, which was already hinted at by his agent last week, shows him fully prepared to sign a new contract until it was Inter who put him on the market by opening negotiations with PSG and setting a huge €70-80m price-tag.
He then felt betrayed and no longer wanted by the Nerazzurri, who offered him roughly half the salary he will receive in Paris.
This is not the first time that the fans have acknowledged a player’s frustration with Inter leaving it late to discuss a contract, as many online mentioned Perisic as an example for Skriniar to follow.
The Croatia international had the best season of his Inter career when his contract was running down and by the time the club did propose a new deal, he had already decided to reunite with Antonio Conte at Tottenham.
Forza Milan. I mean Skriniar. 🙂
If anyone wants to protest it should be against the club directors that let this slip until the last moment.
They clearly did not learn the lesson taught by Perisic.
Simple process: you extend the player 1 year before contract expiry, if he does not accept > sell.