Inter are on the verge of signing Atletico Madrid defender Sime Vrsaljko on a season-long loan deal with a view to making the switch permanent, claims Gianluca Di Marzio.
The Serie A giants have been scouring the market for a new right-back all summer after Joao Cancelo’s loan spell finished at the end of last season.
Inter were priced out of a move for the Portugal international before he eventually joined Serie A rivals Juventus from Valencia in a deal worth £35.5m.
Luciano Spalletti’s side have been pursuing Vrsaljko for weeks now and have finally made a significant breakthrough in talks, finalising a loan deal worth €6.5m (£5.8m).
Inter will also have the right to sign Vrsaljko on a full-time basis for a further €17.5m (£15.6m), which represents tremendous value in the current market.
The 26-year-old has spent the last two years at Atletico since making the switch from Sassuolo in 2016 but has struggled for regular playing time, stuck behind Juanfran in the pecking order.
Atletico manager Diego Simeone wanted to keep the Croatia international, who flourished at the 2018 World Cup, but has conceded defeat in his departure, as the Spanish side look to recoup some money from a summer of big investment.
Vrsaljko has only started 30 of a possible 76 league matches for Atletico in the last two seasons. In that time, Atletico had a better win ratio in La Liga when he has started (66.7%) compared to when he didn't featured from the off (56.5%).
