Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly been handed a major blow in their pursuit of Marcelo Brozovic, who has decided to stay put at Inter Milan.
According to a report by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, Marcelo Brozovic has decided to stay put at Inter Milan by signing a new contract. Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of signing the 29-year-old midfielder from the Serie A club have thus been dashed.
Marcelo Brozovic has established himself as one of the best midfielders in Serie A since joining Inter Milan from Dinamo Zagreb. A pivotal figure for the Nerazzurri, the 29-year-old has played a major role in the club’s ascent in the last half a decade, culminating with the Serie A title triumph in the 2020/21 season.
With Inter Milan perched atop the Serie A table, Brozovic has remained an important member of the first-team setup, starting every single game thus far this term. But with the 29-year-old being in the final six months of his contract at Inter, Barcelona and Tottenham were hoping to sign him on a Bosman move.
The interest from Barcelona is hardly surprising, as Sergio Busquets is approaching the end of his glittering career. Brozovic is the ideal short-term option to succeed the veteran Spanish international, with recent reports claiming that they were prepared to offer him a lucrative contract to prise him away from Inter Milan.
On the other hand, Tottenham’s need to sign a new midfielder should have ideally been fulfilled following the arrival of Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus in a deadline day move in the January transfer window. Following the signing, Antonio Conte has three solid midfield options at his disposal in Bentancur, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp, with Harry Winks a good backup.
But Barcelona and Tottenham have been handed a major blow in pursuit of Brozovic, who has decided to extend his stay at Inter Milan. The 29-year-old Croatian midfielder will sign a new long-term contract worth €6 million per year, with an addition €1 million constituting performance-related bonuses.
The official announcement of the contract renewal is expected to be imminent, with Brozovic set to remain an Inter Milan player for the foreseeable future. Barcelona and Tottenham will now have to set sights on alternatives, with the pursuit of the 29-year-old now poised to be called off.
