Francesco Acerbi’s agent believes that if he was 10 years younger today he’d be worth €50m, but Inter may not sign him permanently. The 34-year-old is on loan at the Nerazzurri with the club retaining an option to sign him outright from Lazio. Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb, agents Andrea and Federico Pastorello discussed the veteran defenders switch to Milan and how the move came about:
Andrea Pastorello: “The starting point was a renewal that came after an important season at Lazio. Then there were some episodes with the fans that created the first cracks, but the arrival of Romagnoli at Lazio made the difference. There have been technical situations that have favored his farewell. On the other hand, Inter had an extreme need for a central defender as confirmed by the pitch: today Acerbi is a fundamental element in Inzaghi’s chessboard. So this opportunity was born for a technical need and the negotiation went on despite the objective difficulty in setting up this operation. It is no coincidence that this deal ended on the last day of the transfer window.”
It is true that Marotta and Ausilio were instrumental in convincing Zhang?
Andrea Pastorello : “Absolutely yes, they are executives who have the pulse of the situation from a technical point of view and had realized the need for important reinforcement in defence. The following months proved him right…”
What will be his future be now?
Federico Pastorello : “There is a right of redemption that has been established without basically being negotiated and from there we have also had some discussions with President Lotito. In my view, it would have been better to set a more appropriate right of redemption. Obviously I am not referring to the value of the player, because if Acerbi was 10 years younger today he would be worth €50 million. But on the threshold of 35-years-old it is difficult to think that Inter, especially given the current situation, can invest €4 million to sign him. I am still confident, I expect common sense to prevail. Sarri is doing very well in Lazio, Romagnoli is doing very well and tactically the characteristics of Francesco go less well with the philosophy of Mr. Sarri. On the other hand, Acerbi is really doing well at Inter: he already knew Inzaghi very well and today in this context he is very comfortable, even inside the locker room. With all these considerations, at the end of the year, it will only be necessary to sit down and reach an agreement. With a little common sense, a solution will eventually be found if Inter want to sign Acerbi. “.
