According to Sportitalia and Record, Benfica have agreed terms with Inter to sign midfielder Joao Mario, but are waiting to ensure Sporting CP can’t sue.
The situation remains problematic for the 28-year-old Portugal international.
He spent the 2020-21 season on loan with Sporting CP with an option to buy, but they could not agree on Inter with the valuation.
The offer was €4m plus up to €1.5m in performance-related bonuses, significantly below the asking price.
Benfica stepped in with the €7.5m proposal and Inter are ready to accept.
However, Sportitalia warn this evening that the Nerazzurri want to hold off until they can get full clearance from their lawyers.
This goes back to when Inter first purchased Joao Mario from Sporting for €40m in 2016, with a clause meaning they would not be able to sell him to another Portuguese club.
If they did, the penalty to be paid could be up to €30m, but he has since gone on loan spells to West Ham, Lokomotiv Moscow and Sporting.
L’operazione Joao Mario tra Inter e #Benfica è chiusa. L’#Inter però attende l’ok legale per procedere, sapendo che lo Sporting presenterebbe immediato ricorso facendo leva sulla clausola da 30M. Da qui i giorni di attesa ed i dubbi. @tvdellosport
— Gianluigi Longari (@Glongari) July 9, 2021