​Inter president Giuseppe Marotta suggested that new Chelsea signing Marco Palestra “backed out of a verbal agreement” with the Nerazzurri, while also pointing the finger at the defender’s representative. On Monday, Marotta joined coach Cristian Chivu at a press conference marking the first day of Inter’s pre-season as the defending Serie A champions continue to hunt for a replacement for Denzel Dumfries, who departed for Real Madrid in a €20 million deal.
Inter had identified Palestra as their main target, but the player chose Chelsea two weeks ago despite having reached a verbal agreement with the Milanese club. “We need to keep costs under control, not investments. I’m referring to players whose wages are too high and to agents, whose influence on the club’s finances is becoming increasingly significant,” Marotta explained, speaking to FcInternews. He then stressed the broader implications for the transfer market in today’s football economy.
Marotta emphasized that clubs must navigate a reality where transfer activity is heavily influenced by wage demands and agent commissions. “We have to deal with these realities, which have a major impact on the transfer market,” he noted. Referring to the Palestra episode, he said, “Take the case of Palestra, for example. It was the result of a decision made by the player, who backed out of a verbal agreement. His agent could have steered him in a different direction, but chose this path instead, and we had to accept seeing another Italian player move to a league that is not in direct competition with ours.”
Further casting light on Inter’s evolving recruitment situation, Marotta confirmed that Inter’s second target, Anan Khalaili, had failed his medical tests, causing the €25 million transfer from Union Saint-Gilloise to collapse. The setback compounds Inter’s ongoing search for a replacement for Dumfries, who helped secure Inter’s most recent Scudetto.
During his time at the helm, Marotta has overseen three Serie A titles for Inter. The 2025-26 championship, won under Cristian Chivu, marked Marotta’s first as Inter’s president. Inter opened pre-season duties this year and are scheduled to begin the 2026-27 Serie A campaign at home against Monza on August 22. The club remains focused on building a squad capable of defending their title and competing at the highest level, even as wage structures and agent influence continue to shape transfer strategies.