Why Mauro Icardi sued Inter and rejected Juventus, according to his agent

Mauro Icardi’s decision to sue Inter Milan wasn’t about the money and that his loan move to Paris Saint-Germain was always on the cards after rejecting Juventus, according to the player’s wife and agent.

The Argentinian joined PSG from Inter Milan on the final day of the European transfer window, having been excluded from training with the rest of the squad by new manager Antonio Conte.

Icardi’s loan move to PSG: Five things to know…

• Mauro Icardi had been linked with a move away from Inter Milan all summer.
• Juventus, Napoli and Atletico Madrid among others were being attributed with interest .
• Icardi eventually joined PSG on the final day of the European transfer window.
• He signs on a season-long loan with an option to buy next summer.
• And the player’s agent, Wanda Nara, reveals it was a deal she kept close to her chest.

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Icardi had been linked with a move away from Inter all summer, with the likes of Juventus, Napoli, Monaco and Atletico Madrid being attributed with interest.

But PSG were the ones to secure Icardi’s services for the year ahead, with an option to buy at the end of the campaign. And Wanda Nara, the striker’s wife and agent, reveals the deal was very close to her chest.

“If I waited until the last moment, it’s because I had an ace up my sleeve,” Nara told reporters. “Nobody knew, not even the kids. Mauro packed a small suitcase and left the rest to me.

“The kids go to school in Italy, so we’ll live between Milan and Paris. Of the three options we had, PSG was the worst for me, because I have to go back to live in Milan with the kids.

“But I thought of what was best for him. There were many important Italian clubs who wanted him and it would’ve been easier.”

Icardi’s arrival at the Parc des Princes adds to PSG’s vast wealth of attacking options, with the 26-year-old joining the likes of Neymar, Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria and Kylian Mbappe.

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What went wrong for Icardi at Inter Milan?

Joining from Sampdoria in 2013, Icardi had a slow start to life at Inter Milan, with his debut season fractured by injury problems. But he came back with a bang the following year, playing himself into the hearts of the Inter faithful with 27 goals in 48 games across all competitions.

His performances were rewarded with the captaincy in 2015/16, before 24 goals in 34 league games the following season and 29 in 34 the year after – including a hat-trick against AC Milan saw the rest of Europe pay attention to Icardi.

🔴🔵🇫🇷 @PSG_inside pic.twitter.com/2aUirewHDu

— MauroIcardi (@MauroIcardi) September 4, 2019

But that was when things started to take a step in the wrong direction, with Icardi reportedly looking for a way out of Inter – a move to a Champions League side being the preference.

It came to a head last season as the goals dried up by Icardi’s standards with 17 in 37 games across all competitions including just two in his final 13 Serie A matches. In that time, Icardi was stripped of the captaincy and replaced by Samir Handanovic and missed six games amid reports of refusing to train.

Conte’s arrival in the summer further worsened Icardi’s standing at Inter, with the new boss refusing to pick the striker in his squad, replacing him with Romelu Lukaku before giving Alexis Sanchez the no.7 shirt following Icardi’s departure.

Why Mauro Icardi sued Inter and rejected Juventus, according to his agent

It remains to be seen whether Icardi’s long-term future will be with the Nerazzurri who brought Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez (albeit on loan) from Man Utd this summer.

Current boss Conte, as touched upon, is clearly not high on the Argentine marksman which follows the club’s stance towards him – laid down by CEO Giuseppe Marotta – as Wanda explains whilst explaining him suing the Milanese giants is more to do with how he’s been treated and that he would never have joined Juventus out of loyalty.

“I think so,” she told Corriere della Sera. “I talked to him, they’d assured him that they were strengthening the team regardless. Football is a business, Marotta makes the decisions and has to look after the accounts.

“We’ll see who’s done well in all this. I never had any doubts about Icardi: I received 15 offers. Marotta knew it too. If we got to the last day [of the transfer window], it’s not because we are crazy: we know Icardi’s value.”

“Suing Inter wasn’t about money, only the ignorant believe that. If it was for money, he would’ve left 3-4 years ago, when Inter weren’t playing in the Champions League. He stayed out of love,” she added.

“He wanted to be reinstated and train with Conte: who knows where he could’ve gone with him. Icardi was Inter’s captain, he would never have gone to Juventus. I have a friendly relationship with Paratici. He was interested and relationship will continue.

“He likes playing in Italy, he knows the League well, he scored 135 goals. I think he’ll come back. I don’t know where and how, but his priority will always be Inter.”