Marcus Thuram and Inter. A love story that began at the start of last season – after lengthy negotiations that led the French striker to embrace the Nerazzurri project, joining as a free agent from Borussia Monchengladbach – and is intensely continuing in the current season. Thuram is among the players who are significantly driving Simone Inzaghi’s team to compete on all fronts, in each of the three competitions in which the Milanese side is still involved (Serie A, Coppa Italia, Champions League).
A detail about his Nerazzurri future reveals a jersey that he is expected to wear from the start in the evening match against Monza, despite still recovering from an ankle problem. He will form an attacking duo with Joaquin Correa. This provides some rest for captain Lautaro, in view of the various commitments and especially the Champions League round of 16 second leg against Feyenoord at San Siro.
CONFIDENCE – A demonstration of total confidence in the abilities of the French player who has found the right environment at Nerazzurri to showcase the talent that everyone has always recognized in him. This confidence has been fully repaid by Thuram, who, even in the European away game in the Champions League against Feyenoord, initiated Inzaghi’s team’s success with a play of pure striker quality. A high-class acrobatic move that dispelled some of the ghosts of a period in which the Frenchman, at least in Serie A, was not very prolific in front of goal: he has not scored since January 19th against Empoli, while previously he had scored 12 goals in 19 matchdays. And so the goal against Feyenoord restores confidence and allows Inzaghi to continue playing the 1997-born player, who will thus have the opportunity to play and regain his best form.
FUTURE – Inter wants to ensure continuity for Thuram also for a future that looks increasingly Nerazzurri. The Frenchman is protected by a long contract until June 30, 2028, with a significant salary of 6 million euros net per season, but within the agreement, there is the famous release clause of 85 million euros that any top European club could activate in the summer. And so, the club is already considering how to eliminate this clause. The hypothesis is that there may be room to open up for a salary increase – deserved on the field – with a shared starting intention that speaks of a solid relationship and a desire to continue for a long time on both sides. And a boost for a salary increase could come from the Growth Decree, a law that no longer exists but can be used in the case of Thuram (as it is a case prior to the regulation’s extinction), as happened with Denzel Dumfries. Thanks to the Decree, Inter could comfortably sustain a salary of 7 million euros net, which would become 9.1 gross. The Nerazzurri club will work on this in due course, but the parties start from a common base of great solidity.