Inter Milan's Summer Move for Sassuolo Defender Francesco Acerbi Blocked by Luciano Spalletti

Sassuolo defender Francesco Acerbi was on the verge of agreeing a transfer to Inter this summer, according to his agent in an interview with Calciomercato.

However, when Inter manager Luciano Spalletti and director of football Walter Sabatini, caught wind of the deal they reportedly shut down negotiations:

“This was the missed move of the summer,” claimed Acerbi's agent Augusto Carpeggiani.

“The negotiations were at an advanced stage, we’d had meetings and discussions, but when Spalletti and Sabatini arrived, things changed and they made other choices.

“Therefore, we decided to renew the contract with Sassuolo to 2022.”

The centre-back had said at the end of last season that he would not be renewing his contract with the Neroverdi, as it was time to move on. However, with a move to Inter failing to materialise he decided to renew his Sassuolo contract.

Acerbi is a vital part of Sassoulo's defence and played every game from the start last season, scoring four times from his centre-back role, as his team finished 12th.

Maurizio Lagana/GettyImages

Inter Milan signed two centre-backs this summer transfer window, which may be the reasoning for pulling out of a deal for Acerbi.

Milan Skriniar joined the Nerazzurri for £20m from Sampdoria, while Alessandro Bastoni also joined from Atlanta for around £7m, however he was loaned back for the remained of the season.

Despite the departure of Juan Jesus to Roma for £7m  to Roma, it is thought that Spalletti felt he had enough in that area, without needing to sign Acerbi.

Spalletti now has Miranda and Ranocchia at his disposal, with Skriniar also coming in. 18-year-old youth product Zinho Vanheusden was also in the squad for Inter's most recent 1-3 victory over Roma.