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What's the story?
Fierce La Liga rivals, Sevilla and Real Betis, are both chasing Inter Milan's Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario according to reports from Italy's Calcio Mercato. The 25-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham in the Premier League and Inter are hoping to offload the player before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
However, the report states that both Seville-based clubs are hoping to secure a season-long loan deal for the international midfielder whereas I Nerazzurri want a permanent transfer having valued Mario at around €20 million.
In case you didn't know...
Joao Mario moved to Inter for a whopping €40 million in 2016 from his boyhood club, Sporting CP. The highly-rated midfielder went on to make 44 appearances for the Italian club over the course of a season and a half.
However, upon the appointment of Luciano Spalletti as Inter manager in June 2017, Joao Mario fell out of favour and became frustrated about a lack of playing time during the first half of last season. This led to a €1.5 million loan move to West Ham in January of this year with an option to buy for €40 million included in the deal.
Joao Mario made 14 appearances for the Hammers in the second half of the season, scoring twice. However, West Ham declined to make use of their option to buy and the 25-year-old returned to Milan after representing Portugal at the World Cup.
The heart of the matter
Although out of favour at the San Siro, Mario remains a huge talent with the ability to play at the top level in any league. His asking price of €20 million is half of what Inter paid for the midfielder in 2016 and would represent an excellent piece of business.
However, Sevilla and Real Betis are wary of spending such funds on a player who has never played in La Liga and would prefer to take the Portuguese on loan perhaps with an option to buy at the end of the season. Should either team secure his services, it would represent something of a coup for that club and La Liga in general.
Rumour Rating: 8/10
Calcio Mercato is a very reliable source about Italian football and there is little doubt that Joao Mario is not currently in Spalletti's first team plans for the coming season. If Inter is willing to negotiate a loan deal with either Spanish club, a transfer could happen over the coming days.
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What's next?
Both Sevilla and Real Betis will try to outdo each other in their pursuit of Joao Mario. With the player very likely to leave the San Siro this summer, it may come down to who can offer Inter and Mario the mos appealing deal.
