Marotta: ‘Calhanoglu has not asked to leave Inter yet’ | OneFootball

Inter President Beppe Marotta has tried to calm the tension around Hakan Calhanoglu’s desire to join Galatasaray after Lautaro Martinez’s strong message. ‘We have not spoken to him yet.’

The Nerazzurri were eliminated from the FIFA Club World Cup in the Round of 16 this evening with a 2-0 defeat to Fluminense.

It has however been overshadowed by the angry statements in the post-match interviews from captain Lautaro Martinez, who seemed to very clearly lash out at teammate Calhanoglu.

“I am not going to name names. We are here to give our all, but I saw many things I did not like. I am captain, I am the leader of the group, so I have to speak up,” he told DAZN.

“The message is clear: those who want to stay and continue challenging for important trophies can do so, otherwise, goodbye.”

Marotta open on Calhanoglu situation

PARMA, ITALY – APRIL 05: Giuseppe Marotta Chairman of FC Internazionale looks on prior to the Serie A match between Parma and FC Internazionale at Stadio Ennio Tardini on April 05, 2025 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

While he is not naming names, Inter President Marotta is not going to shy away from the situation and spoke very openly to DAZN.

“These are the words of a captain, who underlined some eternal truths, which is that when a player no longer wants to be there, it is only right that he goes,” said Marotta.

“As of today, nobody has expressly told us that he wanted to leave. I imagine this was referring to Calhanoglu, who we will talk to and resolve the situation in the best way for everyone.”

The Turkish midfielder did not participate at all in the Club World Cup, as he was carrying an injury since international duty.

MILAN, ITALY – NOVEMBER 10: Hakan Calhanoglu of FC Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Napoli at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on November 10, 2024 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Has Marotta seen a lack of effort or desire from Calhanoglu lately?

“We must always thank him for what he has done. The transfer window officially starts tomorrow and there are bound to be some strong positions taken.

“So far, he has not manifested anything to us directly, but we are ready to listen to him and to others. For now, nobody has told us they want to leave.

“It is understandable that the batteries are running low after a long season.”

Marotta also spoke to Sport Mediaset and again openly mentioned that this was about Calhanoglu.

“We must not blame Calhanoglu. We haven’t spoken to him yet, we will do over the next few weeks. If we decide to take different paths, we will do that, but we are not there yet.”

The issue seems to be that while Inter are happy to let Calhanoglu join Galatasaray, they are not prepared to drop below his fair asking price, which should be around €30m.

While there has been much talk of how much he wants to make this move, there has been no formal offer to Inter.