Old target back in fashion, Inter all'assault

While Inter’s season enters the final rush between the league and Coppa Italia yet to be decided, the summer soccer market is already shaping up to be fiery for the Nerazzurri with one name returning powerfully to the top of the wish list: Moussa Diaby. After a failed courtship in January, when Al-Ittihad’s demands blocked the transfer, Marotta and Ausilio are ready to launch a new attack. The French outfielder has already expressed his liking for the Milanese destination and is eager to end his experience in Saudi Arabia to return to the Champions League stages under Cristian Chivu.

The real driving force behind this operation is not only the player’s prestige but also the profound tactical transformation devised by Chivu, who seems intent on setting aside the classic 3-5-2 of “inzaghiana” memory to veer toward a more fluid and modern 3-4-2-1. In this scenario, Inter needs interpreters capable of jumping the man and creating numerical superiority in the last thirty meters, characteristics that Diaby possesses in his DNA and that have been lacking in the Nerazzurri offensive department during the last season.

The inclusion of the former Aston Villa player would allow an unprecedented and dynamic coexistence on the three-quarter. In fact, Diaby would go and position himself next to Lautaro Martinez or a technical finisher, acting behind the sole striker. This configuration would guarantee much more unpredictability. His ability to cover multiple roles would offer Chivu the possibility of changing set-up even in the course of the game, making Inter a less readable team and much more European in intensity.

However, to turn this tactical change into reality, Inter will have to overcome the economic hurdle represented by the Saudi club. Although the valuation of the class of ’99 has dropped slightly, Al-Ittihad does not seem intent on discounting and is aiming for a take of no less than 35 million euros. However, the Nerazzurri management trusts in the willingness of the player, who has reportedly already officially asked for a transfer to embrace the new technical project and become the first pawn for Chivu’s tactical revolution.

For the Paris-born outfielder, it would not be his first experience in Serie A: in 2018, in fact, he wore the Crotone jersey for six months, when he was still owned by PSG. That season he collected only two appearances.