Real Betis & Switzerland Star Reveals ‘Inzaghi Wanted Me At Inter Milan Last Summer’ | OneFootball

Real Betis defender Ricardo Rodriguez says that Simone Inzaghi wanted to sign him at Inter Milan last summer.

The Swiss international spoke to Italian outlet Calciomercato.com. He revealed the background of the Nerazzurri’s reported interest last summer.

Ricardo Rodriguez joined Real Betis last summer. He arrived at the Spanish club on a free transfer after his contract with Torino had expired.

There had been some other transfer links as well, however.

There were even reports that Inter had wanted to sign Rodriguez.

This came after the Nerazzurri had lost Tajon Buchanan to a serious injury.

With the Canadian unavailable to provide cover on the left flank, Inter had the idea to move Carlos Augusto to that position exclusively.

Therefore, Inter were searching for a player capable of playing on the left of the back three.

Reports named Rodriguez as a target in that respect. Meanwhile, Inter were also reportedly close to signing Juan Cabal before he went to Juventus.

However, in the end, it was Tomas Palacios who arrived.

Real Betis Defender Ricardo Rodriguez: “Simone Inzaghi Wanted Me At Inter”

DUSSELDORF, GERMANY – JULY 06: Ricardo Rodriguez of Switzerland in action during the UEFA EURO 2024 quarter-final match between England and Switzerland at Düsseldorf Arena on July 06, 2024 in Dusseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

At the heart of this whole transfer tug-of-war was the question of whether to sign a younger or more experienced player.

Inter owners Oaktree Capital have made little secret of the fact that they want to focus on younger defenders.

Meanwhile, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi was reportedly hoping for a reliable veteran as a short-term option.

And Ricardo Rodriguez would have certainly been more in line with the latter idea.

“Inter had wanted to sign me because Inzaghi wanted an experienced profile,” he explained.

“But Real Betis were strongly interested in me,” he then noted.