Why Inter can’t afford to lose Brozovic to Liverpool in January

There are reports that Liverpool are interested in signing Inter star Marcelo Brozovic in January, but Lorenzo Bettoni warns that the Nerazzurri can’t afford to lose their star in the middle of the season.

According to a report by Calcio Mercato Web, Liverpool are interested in the 29-year-old who is currently on the sidelines with a flexor problem.

Brozovic signed a new contract with the Nerazzurri this past March, extending his stay at the Stadio Meazza until 2026. On paper, he is not for sale. If there’s a crucial player for Simone Inzaghi’s Inter, it’s him.

The coach learned it first-hand last season when his Inter side didn’t win any of the three Serie A games played without the Croat. They eventually failed to retain the title by just two points, seeing their city rivals Milan win their first Scudetto in 11 years.

Brozovic has scored two goals in nine appearances across all competitions this season and Inzaghi has used two different ways of replacing him following his injury with Croatia. First by fielding new summer signing Kristjan Asllani, who made his Serie A debut in 2021-22 with Empoli.

The Albania international has quality but is still inexperienced at the highest level and it’s no coincidence that, after staring in last week’s loss to Roma, he remained on the bench three days later against Barcelona with Inzaghi going for two Registas in the middle of the park – Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhytarian – along with Nicolò Barella.

Despite the victory against Barcelona, there is no doubt that losing an asset like Brozovic in the middle of the campaign would be devastating for Inter, especially considering that not only the race for the title but also for the one for the top four will be much tougher than last season.

Inzaghi’s men are currently out of the top four ahead of Saturday’s game with Sassuolo and suffered back-to-back defeats against Roma and Udinese. They are currently five points behind the top four and – 8 from leaders Napoli and Atalanta.

The season is still long and Inzaghi can surely turn things around at the Stadio Meazza, but while failing to win the title would be understandable, missing out on a Champions League placement would be devastating for a club in poor financial shape like Inter.

It is true that the Nerazzurri didn’t sell any of their top players in the summer – cashing in €40m combining the sales of Andrea Pinamonti and Cesare Casadei – but selling Brozovic in January to boost the club’s finances would massively affect the team on the pitch at the same time.

Asllani is a good prospect but is still not ready to replace Brozo permanently, while the Hakan-Mkhi partnership in the middle of the park seems like a temporary solution which may not be sustainable in every match.

Therefore, Suning should not be tempted to sell Brozovic for a big-money offer in January, as Inzaghi and the rest of the team would pay a high price. The Croat’s contract situation gives strength to Inter in potential negotiations with Liverpool, as the 29-year-old has recently signed a long-term contract at the Stadio Meazza.

The situation could be different for Skriniar, especially if he doesn’t extend his contract by the end of the year. His current deal runs out in June 2023 and he would be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any club from January. PSG are on the frame, having negotiated with Inter for the whole summer after reaching an agreement with their defender.

The Slovakia international is another crucial player for Inzaghi, but the coach would have to reluctantly accept his sale to avoid seeing him leave on a free transfer in the summer, but that’s another story.

@lorebetto