Call this part of Southampton’s exodus if you want, but this is one player Saints wanted to lose. Striker Dani Osvaldo, who was sent out on loan in January after a training ground fight with a teammate, is close to confirming a return to Italy, with the former Roma and Juventus striker set to move to Internazionale on completion of his physical.
The move will be a temporary one, a six-month loan, but Inter will have the opportunity to purchase the 28-year-old for $9.4 million at the end of the season. Should the Argentine-cum-Italian revert to his Roma form, the deal could be a bargain for the Nerazzurri.
From The Guardian:Gazzetta dello Sport say the 28-year-old will join Inter on an initial six-month loan deal with and a £5.6m option to buy next summer. The two clubs have agreed the terms of the transfer and Osvaldo will fly to Italy from Argentina in the next couple of days to take his medical.
Southampton broke their transfer record to sign Osvaldo from Roma for a fee rising to £14.6m last summer. But the Italy striker was shipped out on loan to Juventus for the second half of the season following a training ground bust-up with his Saints team-mate José Fonte. His record on the south coast currently stands at three goals in 13 games.
With so much money hitting Saints’ account this summer, losing close to $15 million in fees won’t be the problem. The bigger issue: how somebody who was counted on to have an impact at St. Mary’s could turn into such a bust.
For those who’ve followed Osvaldo, the conflict wasn’t a huge surprise, with the former Huracán, Atalanta, Lecce, Fiorentina, Bologna, and Espanyol forward’s temperament leading the Giallorossi to cash in last season. Now back in Italy, Osvaldo may need his best behavior to win a permanent move from St. Marys.
