Inter Milan may opt against returning for Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi in the January transfer window after Tuttosport reported their interest in signing Atletico Madrid defender Jose Gimenez instead.
Mustafi was said to have been subject to a €5m loan offer from Inter (with an obligation to buy for €25m) on deadline day, but although the German international was reportedly ready to make the move to Italy, the club’s sporting director Piero Ausilio admitted that they had been priced out of a deal.
Gimenez was also linked with Inter, as well as Manchester United and others, over the summer, but Atletico’s transfer ban meant the Uruguayan was not able to leave with the Spanish club unable to sign a replacement.
The 22 year old’s contract does expire next summer, and Tuttosport report that Inter are hoping for a significant discount on the player’s €65m release clause in January. The player could also a sign a pre-contract agreement with Inter and join on a free transfer at the end of the season, making a move for Mustafi all the more unlikely.
