Inter Milan Secures Israeli Winger Anan Khalaily in Record €25 Million Deal

Inter Milan completed the largest transfer in Israeli football history by signing 21-year-old Israeli winger Anan Khalaily from Union Saint-Gilloise for €25 million. Khalaily agreed to personal terms on Thursday, will undergo medical tests over the weekend, and is expected to be officially presented early next week. The move was driven by Inter's need to fill the right wing/defender position after Denzel Dumfries transferred to Real Madrid and Luis Henrique's potential move to Bournemouth. Previous attempts to sign João Cancelo and Ivan Perišić had failed.

Italian media highlighted Khalaily's potential to surpass Dumfries, noting his development from a right-back to a dynamic right winger with strong offensive capabilities. Despite interest from multiple clubs, including English teams, Khalaily insisted on joining Inter, even missing preseason training with his Belgian club to push for the transfer. Inter's direct negotiation approach, bypassing intermediaries, was crucial in finalizing the deal smoothly.

Sportitalia detailed how Inter's involvement shifted the negotiation dynamics, outpacing Napoli, which had shown early interest but never made a satisfactory offer. Khalaily and his agent agreed to a five-year contract worth €2.2 million per season. A key factor was Inter's willingness to accept a 15% future resale fee demanded by Maccabi Haifa, which helped overcome negotiation hurdles. Coach Christian Civo played a decisive role by assuring Khalaily he was the club's chosen player for the right wing position, reinforcing the club's commitment to his development as Dumfries' successor.