Inter Milan Moves to Accelerate Signing of Anan Khalaily Amid Napoli Delay

Italian sports outlet Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Inter Milan is planning to speed up negotiations to acquire Anan Khalaily from Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise. Khalaily, an Israeli player, has risen to the top of Inter's transfer list as a replacement for Marco Plescia, with the club seriously considering betting on him soon. This development comes as Napoli, Inter's main competitor for Khalaily, faces internal challenges that have slowed their pursuit.

Napoli had already agreed on a five-year contract with Khalaily, offering an initial salary of 1.5 million euros per season with gradual increases. They also narrowed the transfer fee gap with Union Saint-Gilloise, reaching an offer close to 18 million euros and leaving room to negotiate up to around 20 million euros. However, Napoli recently slowed down talks due to the club's directive to sell players before investing in new signings, as their squad swelled to 37 players after several returned from loans.

Following Napoli's pause, Inter reentered the race. Khalaily was initially proposed to Inter by his agent but did not attract immediate interest. The situation changed after the Marco Plescia case forced Inter to reconsider its options, bringing Khalaily back into focus. Gazzetta highlights that the timing is crucial, with Inter aiming to capitalize on Napoli's current difficulties to secure the player first.