Account
Geoffrey Kondogbia to Inter Milan: Latest Contract Details, Reaction and More
June 21, 2015
Inter Milan confirmed Sunday the signing of Geoffrey Kondogbia from Monaco.
The club's English-language Twitter account announced the news:
Kondogbia has been in demand this summer ever since it became apparent Monaco were willing to sell.
AC Milan CEO Adriano Galliani was confident his club had a deal in place to sign Kondogbia for €40 million.
"Monaco had given us the all-clear for the sale at €40 million with payment spread over two years, €20 million and €20 million," he said in La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Italia). "The agreement with Geoffrey had already been sorted out the night before and was confirmed that same morning by him and his father."
Galliani added that the involved parties all departed by the afternoon before the transfer could be made official.
Milan's loss is Inter's gain. Kondogbia remains one of the more promising young defensive midfielders in Europe. Squawka Football highlighted how his combative nature on the pitch will help out Inter Milan:
With that said, this transfer isn't a slam dunk for the Italian giants. Kondogbia still isn't the finished product just yet. Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe thought Inter might be paying just a bit too much for a player who can disappear during games:
Regardless, Inter need to make some major splashes in the transfer market this summer if they're to get back into the Champions League. The club is laying down a marker by signing Kondogbia. While Inter can't afford to make a high number of big transfers, this deal at least shows ownership is willing to open up the checkbook.
It's still way too early to consider Inter contenders to win Serie A next year. Between Kondogbia's potential and having a full season of head coach Roberto Mancini, the club should be much better positioned to compete for the top three in Italy.