Inter Milan to buy only one of Victor Moses or Cristiano Biraghi — reports

Despite Victor Moses’ high praise for Antonio Conte, it’s increasingly starting to look likely that he will not be playing under his “friend and mentor” next season. With the COVID-19 pandemic slashing available transfer funds and Inter Milan being the perennial-misers that they are, Chelsea face an uphill task of offloading the 29-year-old.

According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sempre Inter), the Nerazzurri can only afford to sign one of Moses or Cristiano Biraghi in the next window. Biraghi joined Inter for a season-long temporary stint last summer and while he showed quite some promise initially, his performances have been average towards the latter part of the season. Still, he had more chances to impress than Moses, who only joined in January.

Along with the aforementioned two, Inter have other on-loan stars on their roster as well — Alexis Sánchez, Nicolò Barella and Stefano Sensi — and with only Barella ascertained to be at the San Siro next season, Inter will no doubt carefully evaluate the economic feasibility of signing the other four because of the present climate (Alexis is reportedly on his way back to Manchester United already.)

There’s also a report from Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), which lays out the conditions that may facilitate Moses’ transfer to Inter: either Chelsea lower the €12m asking price or let him join on a season-long loan. Moses’ contract expires in 2021, so he may need to sign a contract extension if he were to leave on loan again — which wouldn’t be the first time that has happened, though FIFA’s new loan restriction loom for the 2021-22 season (postponed from 2020 due to the pandemic).

Despite current events, Chelsea’s asking price for Moses is quite reasonable, considering his familiarity with Conte’s system, his top-flight experience and his trophy-laden career. It looks unlikely that Chelsea would accede to Inter’s demands and unfortunately for Moses, he may have to start looking for a new team once again.