Late in the summer transfer window last year, Barcelona tried to ship off veteran defender Jordi Alba to Inter Milan. The Nerazzurri were willing to sign the Spaniard, but the player’s reluctance to leave Camp Nou put an end to the operation.
But, heading into the upcoming summer transfer window, Alba is staring at an uncertain future at Barcelona. And, according to SPORT, Inter Milan are interested in the Spanish left-back, but are in no position to pay his full salary.
Over the course of the 2022/23 campaign, Alba has fallen behind Alejandro Balde and Marcos Alonso in the pecking order at Barcelona. The veteran full-back has barely been called upon by manager Xavi Hernandez in recent times.
Indeed, Alba has not made an appearance in six of Barça’s previous seven matches in all competitions.
Furthermore, his salary is also seen as an issue at Camp Nou. The 34-year-old would be owed a mammoth €38 million for next season, which will be the last year of his contract, due to deferred payments.
Given that Barcelona need to shed around €200 million from their wage bill, they will look to negotiate a salary reduction or a downward renewal with Alba or look to part ways with him if the first two options do not come to fruition.
In that case, Inter Milan would be an option, although the Nerazzurri are going through financial problems of their own and would find it impossible to pay his salary.
In fact, the Italian giants are also looking to avoid shelling out any transfer fee and would instead consider offering players in exchange, with Marcelo Brozovic, a Barcelona target from January, an option.
But, Alba has consistently maintained that he wants to stay at Camp Nou and see out his contract, which expires next year. So, convincing him to make a switch in the summer could prove difficult.
