CSKA 1948 Sofia Won’t Sign Teenage Inter Milan Starlet Permanently When Loan End | OneFootball

Bulgarian side CSKA 1948 Sofia will not sign forward Nikola Iliev permanently from Inter Milan when his loan deal expires.

This according to Italian news outlet FCInterNews. The outlet report that the 19-year-old’s performances this season have not met expectations, and so he will return to the Nerazzurri.

Last summer, teenage Inter forward Iliev joined CSKA on loan.

It was a season-long loan deal, but one which also contained the option for the Bulgarian club to sign the player on a permanent basis for a fee.

Iliev had first joined Inter in September of 2020.

The young Bulgarian forward joined the Nerazzurri’s youth academy from that of Bulgarian club Botev.

Inter reportedly signed Iliev ahead of the likes of Ajax and Juventus.

Subsequently, Iliev spent the next few seasons playing for Inter’s youth teams. He played for the Primavera, or Under-19 team, under coach Christin Chivu up until last season.

Then, this season, Iliev has gotten his first taste of senior top flight football.

CSKA 1948 Sofia Not Planning To Sign Nikola Iliev Permanently From Inter

It was back to his home country that Iliev went last summer.

But this has not been the most successful loan stint for the teenage forward.

Iliev’s form has been inconsistent. In that respect, it has mirrored that of CSKA as a whole.

The club from the Bulgarian capital have had a disappointing campaign. They finished eighth in the league table, whilst they failed to overcome Romanians FCSB in the Europa Conference League playoff round.

That led to several changes of coach, something that certainly did not help a young player like Iliev to find his footing in the team.

What all this means is that Iliev will not be part of CSKA’s plans next campaign. He will instead return to Inter.

That leaves it to the Nerazzurri to sort out the 19-year-old’s future.

Another loan looks to be probable. The hope will be that playing in a more stable environment than this season’s CSKA will allow Iliev to find some consistency.

However, Iliev’s current contract with Inter runs out at the end of next June.

Therefore, the Nerazzurri would have to agree a contract extension with the Bulgarian before they are to send him out on loan again.