When Mauro Icardi does finally put pen to paper on a bumper contract extension with Inter, it will put him among Serie A’s best-paid players as the club aim to show that they mean business once more.
Although the Argentine had been expected to sit down with the club this week along with his wife and agent Wanda Nara, that has yet to take place, despite their being renewed speculation that they could meet on Friday.
A report in Thursday’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that when the striker does indeed sign a contract extension with the Nerazzurri, it will put him on the podium of the league’s top earners.
Although the club and player still appear to be quite a way off in their valuations, when Icardi does sign an extension until 2023, he will do so for an annual salary of no fewer than €7 million, excluding bonuses.
That is the same salary that Italian football’s third highest earner Paulo Dybala of Juventus currently earns and is a signal of growing intent from within the Beneamata hierarchy.
They have not agreed such lucrative contracts with players since the days of Massimo Moratti’s presidency, with the most recent Inter players to be among Italy’s top three earners being the heroes of their dominant 2010, Wesley Sneijder (€6m) and Diego Milito (€5m).
Under the ownership of Erick Thohir and Suning which followed, the club were hesitant to hand out such big deals and never had any of their players among the division’s top three earners but that is now set to change with Icardi as they show they are ready to battle among the elite once more.
