Inter are reportedly leading the race to sign Italy forward Mateo Retegui, despite strong interest from Eintracht Frankfurt. The 23-year-old is currently plying his trade with Argentine side Tigres but has emerged on the radar of a number of European sides following a successful few seasons in South America.
Retegui recently acquired Italian citizenship which made him eligible for the Azzurri, earning a first call-up for Italy during the EURO 2024 qualifiers under coach Roberto Mancini. The striker went on to score on his debut in the 2-1 loss to England, and added another in their 2-0 win over Malta the following week.
Calciomercato and Tuttosport report that Retegui has made it his ‘priority’ to join Inter this summer, despite having potential options to move to the Bundesliga.
The price-tag is expected to be close to the €20m mark, however the players value has risen since his debut for the Azzurri, and there’s expected to be competition for his signature. What complicates matters is that Retegui is currently on loan at Tigre from Boca Juniors, with Tigre retaining an option to own 50% of his contract for €2.5m. The two sides would need to iron out a deal before Retegui can make the switch to Europe, but he has previously suggested he would prefer a move to Serie A, with Italy the most likely destination.
The promising young forward scored 23 goals in 42 appearances in his first season with Tigre and has already found the next six times in nine games in the current campaign.
