Inter President Massimo Moratti says Galatasaray-bound Wesley Sneijder will be fondly remembered at San Siro.
Inter President Massimo Moratti says Galatasaray-bound Wesley Sneijder will be fondly remembered at San Siro.
The Dutchman has been sold this month after his relationship with the Nerazzurri hit problems following his refusal to accept a cut in salary.
“He gave so much to Inter,” the chief noted on Monday. “And that’s not purely sentiment, that’s recognition.
“He'll always remain one of the key figures in Inter history. We're proud to have had him here and Galatasaray will be too.”
Inter agreed his €7.5m sale some time ago, but the Dutch international refused to be rushed into making a switch.
“Am I happy with the end result? Yes, without a doubt,” Moratti added. “Galatasaray did everything properly, their President, Vice-President, they're very good people.
“I think the player is happy too, otherwise he wouldn't have gone there.
“Why did it take so long? If something needs to happen, all that matters is that it does.”
With treble-winner Sneijder gone, reports are now gathering pace that he could be replaced in the squad by Corinthians’ Paulinho.
“Let’s take one step at a time. We've just done this, let's now see what we need to do,” Moratti continued.
“Paulinho is a player that, with his attributes, is always useful. But the cost does come into things too.
“I don't know if we’ll make a move in the market, it depends if it's worth it. Everything’s so expensive in Italy, so I don't think anything will happen.
“We'll take a measured approach.”