This summer transfer window, Inter Milan's moves have drawn much attention. The club planned to sell Asllani and Sebastiano Esposito to raise funds, but the transfer paths of these two young stars have hit successive roadblocks.
23-year-old midfielder Asllani, with a Transfermarkt value of €13 million and three years left on his contract, failed to meet Inter's management expectations last season, and new coach Zidane also doesn't rate his ability, so he's been put up for sale. Determined to stay in Italy, he rejected Sassuolo's offer—perhaps he still hopes to fight for a starting spot under the new coach and is waiting for a better opportunity. However, Inter insists on an outright sale (no loans) and its asking price has deterred interested clubs like Fiorentina and Bologna (either put off by the price or unable to guarantee a starting role), leaving Asllani's transfer prospects bleak.
Another 23-year-old prospect, Sebastiano Esposito, has a Transfermarkt value of €8.5 million and only one year left on his contract. Inter recommended him to ally club Cagliari; initially, the two sides agreed on a €4 million transfer fee plus a 50% sell-on clause. But Cagliari, having overspent on summer signings and facing a tight budget, now wants to lower the fee to €3 million, plus €300,000 in bonuses (activated if Cagliari stays in Serie A for the next three seasons), while retaining the sell-on clause. This U-turn has annoyed Inter, leaving talks at a standstill. Other interested clubs have also pulled out for various reasons, making his transfer hard to progress.
Meanwhile, Inter's pursuit of Lookman has been equally tortuous. Reports say the club has prepared a bid worth nearly €50 million including bonuses, and Marotta is willing to wait another 10 days. To push the move, Lookman has skipped training and left Atalanta. Inter is willing to increase the offer, raising the fixed fee to €45 million plus bonuses, but before submitting a new bid, Marotta and Ausilio want Atalanta to first confirm they're willing to sell Lookman to a Serie A club and state their official asking price—avoiding further price hikes after the bid. While waiting, Inter is evaluating alternatives, with Sancho in sight. The player, with one year left on his Manchester United contract, has a transfer fee of around €25 million (far lower than Lookman) and an age advantage, though his high salary is a concern for Inter.
Inter's overall transfer strategy is hampered by the stalled sales of the two young stars: failure to cash in on them in time will, under Financial Fair Play (FFP) pressure, restrict the club's transfer flexibility. The uncertainty around Lookman also leaves the forward line reinforcement plan in flux. For Asllani and Esposito, the stalled moves are equally harmful—Asllani, if staying, will struggle for game time with the new coach unimpressed; Esposito also needs regular minutes to prove himself. With less than a month left in the window, whether Inter can break the deadlock remains to be seen.
