Wesley Sneijder was on top of the world just two years ago, but he’s fallen off the radar in recent months.
But the Dutch playmaker will make a sensational switch during the January transfer window, moving from Inter Milan to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), according to Football Italia.
“The Dutchman has been told he won’t play until he signs a new contract which lowers his €6 million ($7.8 million) per season wages,” the report says. According to SportMediaset, a deal has already been struck with PSG to sell the midfielder next month when the transfer window opens.
“PSG would have no problem keeping his €6 million per season wages intact and extend the deal until June 2016.”
Sneijder, the star of Inter’s 2010 UEFA Champions League-winning team, is locked in a nasty contract dispute, which has reportedly seen the Italian club freeze him out of the lineup. Inter is in the final stages of breaking up that all-conquering team in an effort to build around a younger and cheaper core group of players. It is one of several Italian clubs moving in that direction in Serie A’s current age of austerity.
The 28-year-old has only played eight games for Inter this season. His last appearance was a 25-minute contribution to Inter’s win over Chievo on Sept. 26. He missed the next two months because of injury and the contract stalemate.
Sneijder has been the subject of numerous transfer rumors in the 18 months. Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and his former club, Real Madrid, were reportedly considering signing him, but they were discouraged by his £35 million ($56 million) price tag.
It’s unlikely that Inter would receive anywhere near that amount from PSG in January, as it’s well-known that Inter is planning for life after Sneijder and selling him could be in its best interest. PSG would be negotiating from a position of strength for someone who is among the world’s best playmakers.
PSG is building a star-studded team with the intention of winning the Champions League within five years. Sneijder would complement the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi in the French capital. There are even rumors that Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho will replace Carlo Ancelotti as PSG manager next season.
In 2009, then Inter manager Mourinho brought Sneijder to Inter from Real Madrid after he had lost his place in the Madrid starting lineup toward the end of his second and final season at the Spanish club. The Inter move breathed new life into his career.
Perhaps moving to Paris could have the same effect on the Dutch international’s fortunes.
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