The agent of Marko Arnautovic has seemingly confirmed that talks were held with AC Milan before he returned to Inter over a decade after leaving.
Milan were heavily linked with a move for the Austrian forward earlier in the summer as he was believed to be a transfer target put forward by Paolo Maldini before he was sacked as the technical director.
During an editorial for Calciomercato.com, journalist Cristiano Ruiu actually stated that Maldini had verbally agreed a deal for Arnautovic. Now, the former West Ham man will aim to score against the Rossoneri in next week’s derby.
Danijel Arnautovic – the brother and agent of the Nerazzurri striker – spoke in an interview on ServusTV about what happened over the summer, revealing some interesting background.
“It’s true, some clubs from Saudi Arabia in the past they spoke with Marko. But he had already been to China and wanted to return to Europe, that’s why he was too happy to go to Bologna,” he said (via Calciomercato.com).
Arnautovic had been sought by other Italian clubs like Roma, but also Juventus and Milan, as his brother-agent seemed to confirm.
“We had already spoken with two top Italian clubs , Inter weren’t even on the radar at that moment and Bologna had already said no to Roma because they couldn’t find a replacement.
“At a certain point, it seemed that Marko would stay, then I saw that the Nerazzurri needed a striker because, at that moment, they only had two in the squad and this is not enough when the Champions League is being played.
“So I wrote to the sporting director [Piero Ausilio] telling him: ‘I know what you need and I have what you need’. He didn’t respond, even though I’ve known him for 14 years and we’re really good friends. But then he called, we clarified everything, so Bologna accepted the offer.”
