Inter Milan finally revealed the reasons behind the failure to recruit Marco Palestra. In fact, the young Italian defender is said to have reached a verbal agreement with the Nerazzurri before finally choosing to accept Chelsea’s offer.
Inter President, Beppe Marotta, did not hide his disappointment. According to him, the decision to change direction came directly from the player, although he also mentioned the role of the agent who was considered to have influenced the final outcome of the negotiations.
Marotta Says Palestra Cancels Oral Agreement
Marotta conveyed this when accompanying coach Cristian Chivu at Inter’s pre-season opening press conference, Monday.
He first highlighted the current condition of the transfer market which is increasingly influenced by the size of player salaries and the role of agents.
“We have to keep costs under control, not investment. There are players we can’t bring in because salary demands are too high, while agents’ influence on the club’s financial condition is also getting bigger,” said Marotta.
He then used the Palestra case as an example.
“The decision came from the player canceling the verbal agreement. His agent could have steered the situation in a different direction, but chose another path. We have to accept the reality of seeing another Italian player move to a league that is not a direct competitor to Serie A,” said Marotta.
Chelsea officially acquired Palestra about two weeks ago even though previously Inter felt they were in the leading position to recruit him.
Khalaili Transfer Also Canceled
Failure to get the Palestra was not the only unpleasant news for Inter at the start of pre-season.
Marotta confirmed that their other target, Anan Khalaili, would definitely not join after failing to pass a medical test. The transfer worth around IDR 475 billion from Union Saint-Gilloise was cancelled.
Inter are currently still hunting for a replacement for Denzel Dumfries, who was released to Real Madrid in a transfer worth around IDR 380 billion.
Under Marotta’s leadership, Inter has won three Serie A titles. The 2025-2026 season title with Cristian Chivu was also Marotta’s first Scudetto since serving as club president.
Inter started pre-season on Monday and are scheduled to open the 2026-2027 Serie A season by hosting Monza on August 23.
Gilabola.com Opinion
The Marco Palestra case once again shows that verbal agreements in the modern transfer market do not necessarily result in a contract being signed.
Marotta’s statement also signals Serie A clubs’ concern about the increasing influence of agents in determining players’ futures.
On the other hand, Chelsea have once again proven their appeal in the youth market, even as other clubs feel they are one step away from a deal.
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