June 22, (THEWILL)- Serie A champions Inter Milan have confirmed the signing of Hakan Calhanoglu on a three-year-deal from arch-rivals and city opponents AC Milan. The 27-year-old, who had featured for Milan since 2017 and made 172 appearances during his time with the club, is crossing over to last season’s title winners.
In his time at the Rossoneri, Calhanoglu scored 32 times while providing 49 assists for a total goal contribution of 81 and he will be leaving on a free transfer since he opted out of signing a new contract with June 30 being the last day of the current contract.
Yet, the signing comes as somewhat of a surprise as the Nerazzurri had been expected to trim their wage budget considerably over the summer especially as that was partially the bone of contention that led to the celebrated exit of title-winning manager Antonio Conte.
THEWILL recalls that the Serie A champions were planning to take a wage cut soon after their triumphant claiming of the Scudetto was confirmed leading star players like Achraf Hakimi, Lautaro Martinez and Romelu Lukaku to be linked with moves away from the club during the window.
Ultimately, Conte did not take lightly to the cost-cutting measures and departed at the end of the season after growing tired of off-field uncertainty and the projected financial restrictions that were imminent.
But, the club’s acquisition of Calhanoglu displays another direction for the Serie A champions and may be at the instance of the new manager Simeone Inzaghi. It is interesting to see how the club will enforce its financial tightening while bringing in squad reinforcements which Conte wanted.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
