The next 20 days will be crucial for the future of Alexis Sánchez.
That is, in essence, what Gazzetta dello Sport allude to on Thursday, claiming that while keeping the Manchester United loanee next season is a ‘luxury’ for Inter, it’s one they could be convinced of succumbing to.
Why the next 20 days? Because that’s the timeframe of the Serie A club’s next seven games (six in the league and one against Getafe) before his loan extension expires.
In that time, the forward needs to ‘show continuity’ following his impressive displays in the past couple of games.
If he does, he would then prove to Inter he is ‘someone they can rely on’.
But what about the nature of his stay? Gazzetta explain it’s ‘unlikely’ Manchester United will respond positively to a new loan offer, and ‘it’s more likely that an agreement will be sought on a definitive transfer’.
The main issue is Ed Woodward’s initial demands of ‘above €20m’, meaning Inter ‘will have to make a financial effort’ and ‘will have to set it up quickly’.
Why? Because they’re worried of ‘being burned by other potential buyers’, since a sale ‘elsewhere’ would mean Sánchez wouldn’t take part in their hopeful run to the Europa League trophy.
The clock is ticking, but there’s hope Manchester United ‘may have the same interest in closing as soon as possible’, which would then allow Inter to enter talks with the player himself to try and ‘spread his wages’ over his potential future contract with them.
To summarise, the two clubs have 20 days to sort something out before the current loan expires, and it’s up to Sánchez to hold up his end of the bargain during that timeframe, meaning he needs to play well to prove to Inter he’s a worthwhile investment.
