Inter-Calhanoglu: physical doubts in the contract renewal talks, the offer will be lower
Hakan Calhanoglu could not take to the pitch during Inter's 5-2 comeback win over Udinese. The Turkish midfielder had already been dealing with a muscular problem on the eve of the match, and the tests he underwent today confirmed muscle soreness in the adductor muscles of his right thigh.
That means he will also miss the big match, as well as the head-to-head clash of the fifth league round against Roma, in the latest setback of the past two years, one that is also having an impact on the now-public negotiations over the renewal of his contract, which expires at the end of the season.
Too many injuries
The pattern of injuries suffered by the Turkey captain in recent years is plain to see. The number of muscle injuries from the 2024/2025 season to today has risen dramatically.
Calhanoglu has suffered 12 problems, some recurring in the same areas of the body and others clearly not, for a total of 33 matches missed between the Turkey national team and Inter from 20 October 2024, when he suffered an adductor injury, to today, with another adductor injury.
Chivu kept him when his contract was expiring
Inter started weighing up the future of the former AC Milan player some time ago, in fact during last season, and the decision to let the summer arrive without a genuine renewal offer proves it.
Having won the double and been given confirmation and full trust for the future, Cristian Chivu, however, asked Marotta and the then sporting director Piero Ausilio not to let Calhanoglu leave and, in the absence of a renewal, to keep him even with a contract nearing its expiry.
For the Romanian coach, the Turk remains central to his footballing ideas, but his future is still unwritten.
Contacts for the renewal, lower offer submitted
In his first official media appearance in the new role, sporting director Dario Baccin confirmed that an initial meeting with the player's agent has already officially taken place. Inter want to carry on together, but Tuttosport reports that the injury issue has already been raised as well.
At the next round of talks, a new deal will be proposed to extend the current one, which expires on 30 June 2027, but with a shorter duration (1+1 or a straight two-year deal) and with a lower financial offer than the €6.5 million net per year currently earned.
Neither Inter nor the player are in any rush. For Oaktree, the physical and financial conditions must necessarily go hand in hand.
