Inter Milan set to snatch Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel from under noses of Everton and Leicester
Italian giants Inter have reportedly made a last ditch bit with Witsel favouring a move to the San Siro
INTER MILAN are set to snatch Belgium midfielder from under the noses of Everton and Leicester.
The combative Zenit St Petersburg midfielder is widely expected to leave Russia and a number of clubs have been chasing him, with new Everton boss seemingly in pole position.
But Italian club Napoli entered the race and were tipped to sign him until the deal collapsed after Coach Maurizio Sarri pointed out he didn’t suit his system – prompting Everton to renew their £30m pursuit.
Koeman hoped it would be his first marquee signing and were tipped to offer him a whopping £100,000 a week, making full use of new Toffees investor Farhad Moshiri’s millions.
And with seemingly on his way to Chelsea for £32m, Premier League champions Leicester emerged as rivals for Witsel’s signature, with the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool having shown an interest at various points this summer.
‘s Foxes would be able to offer the 27-year-old significant wages and importantly, Champions League football, according to .
But Roberto Mancini’s Inter to step in and now seem to be favourites, with Italian site claiming the deal will be worth £18.5m plus add-ons.
Witsel was with the Belgium national side up until 11 days ago when they were spectacularly knocked out by Wales in the quarter-finals.
It came after a strong domestic season in Russia, impressing clubs all over Europe particularly in the Champions League as Zenit dominated their group and made it to the last-16.
Inter finished fourth in Serie A last season and qualified for the Champions League preliminary rounds sparking a recruitment drive which has been boosted with the signing of Portugal Euro 2016 winning midfielder Joao Mario, who has reportedly turned down Chelsea for the San Siro.