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Barcelona, July 2 Spanish football club FC Barcelona defender Martin Montoya arrived in Italy on Thursday to sign a transfer agreement for the next two seasons with Italian side Inter Milan. Air travel delays pushed Montoya's Wednesday arrival to Thursday, where at the Malpensa airport he was met by Inter Milan president and Malaysian businessman Erick Thohir, reports Efe.
The transfer was completed on Friday evening with Inter releasing a statement on their website:
F.C. Internazionale is delighted to announce that Martin Montoya has joined the club on loan from FC Barcelona. The Nerazzurri have an option to make the deal permanent.
Montoya's agent expressed his client's desire to leave Barcelona during the last winter transfer window, as defender Dani Alves's performance and the signing of right back Douglas Pereira eclipsed his opportunities, though the latter did not get much play time.
The picture was further complicated for Montoya with the renewal of Alves’ contract and the subsequent signing of Aleix Vidal, who can moonlight as a right back, the same position as Montoya.
"Luis Enrique told me he wouldn't be relying on me. I realised I had to leave when I saw the club had renewed Dani Alves's contract and signed Aleix Vidal," Montoya explained about his departure from Barcelona on Thursday.
According to Italian press, Montoya expressed his enthusiasm for playing with such "a great team" as Inter Milan. Montoya underwent a medical examination on Thursday prior to signing with the Italian team for the next two seasons.
Update: This article was edited after the transfer was complete
