"Gazzetta dello Sport" reported that Inter Milan defender Akanji was once close to joining AC Milan. This weekend, Akanji will usher in the first Milan Derby of his career as an Inter Milan player. But in fact, he had already experienced t...
"Gazzetta dello Sport" reported that Inter Milan defender Akanji was once close to joining AC Milan.
This weekend, Akanji will usher in the first Milan Derby of his career as an Inter Milan player. But in fact, he had already experienced the Milan Derby in some way a few months ago. At the end of August to be precise, the final days of the summer transfer window. At that time, both Inter Milan and AC Milan were looking for a new defender. The requirement was that they had experience in international competitions, but they could not be players in the twilight of their careers. After talks, comparisons and data evaluation, the two clubs came up with exactly the same name as the target candidate, that is Akanji.
The 30-year-old defender, who has won everything but was effectively abandoned by Guardiola, is looking for a new challenge. He is accustomed to a three-back system, and Chivu now places him in the right center back position. Since landing in Serie A, he has played all available game time, only getting more rest in the Champions League. This is almost a perfect recruitment template for the Nerazzurri and Rossoneri. Both teams now adopt a mirror-like 3-5-2 formation, and the weekend derby will also have this layout.
It was the Rossoneri that took the lead. It was not difficult to reach an agreement with Manchester City, which asked for about 15 million euros. However, the personal terms with the Swiss defender became an obstacle and caused the transaction to be completely stranded a few days after the initial contact. Because Akanji's annual salary after tax at Manchester City is about 5 million euros, and Milan cannot provide such a high salary. Although Milan management tried to convince the players, another variable emerged at this time, and that was Champions League qualification. Akanji insisted on playing in the Champions League, so Milan's dream of signing Akanji was shattered. At this time, Inter Milan joined the fray.
Ausilio completed this exquisite operation to kill his opponent on the last day of the transfer window, taking full advantage of the Champions League qualification chips. The total transfer fee is very beneficial to Inter Milan. The buyout clauses of Akanji and Pavard are both set at 15 million euros, but Akanji's income is much lower than Pavard. Akanji's annual salary is 3.5 million euros (plus bonuses, which can reach up to 4.4 million, but includes clauses that are extremely difficult to trigger), while Pavard's net annual salary is 5 million.
