OneFootball
·24 juin 2026
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·24 juin 2026
Inter are sensationally pipped to the post and miss out on Marco Palestra, just when everyone - both inside and outside the Nerazzurri world - thought the deal was done. But when the Premier League steps in, thereâs little anyone can do, and so within a matter of hours Chelsea snatched the wing-back away from the Italian champions, reaching an agreement with Atalanta and with Palestra.
A bitter blow for Inter and all their fans, who over the years have unfortunately grown "used" to seeing deals that looked all but done on paper fall apart at the last moment.
Some moves collapsed for financial reasons, others - as in this case - because of competition from clubs with greater financial power. From Lookman to Palestra, via JoĂŁo Cancelo and Bremer, the Nerazzurri have often found themselves just one step away from their target, without being able to get the deal over the line.
If the long-running saga involving Lookman had taken on the feel of a soap opera, the one concerning Palestra instead seemed to be moving smoothly toward a done deal, only to then spring an unexpected ending.Â

As we were saying, Premier League competition has already thrown a wrench into the Nerazzurriâs plans. Inter had already had a taste of that a year ago in their attempt to sign Giovanni Leoni, who eventually ended up at Liverpool.
Then in January it was JoĂŁo Canceloâs turn, courted for a long time and then "lost" to Barcelona. A decision that recalled what happened in 2018, when the Portuguese seemed destined to stay with the Nerazzurri after his loan from Valencia. However, the Spanish clubâs high asking price for a permanent deal opened the door for Juventus, who managed to bring him to Turin.
Juventus themselves have often been at the center of transfer-market tussles with Inter. Among the most significant cases is Bremer: the Brazilian defender was one of the Nerazzurriâs main targets, but in the end he was signed by Juve, backed by greater financial resources. One of the most debated failed deals also remains the proposed swap involving VuÄiniÄ and GuarĂn, which this time collapsed because of fierce protests from the Nerazzurri fanbase.
There has been no shortage of twists over the years either. Among them are Lookman, pursued for an entire summer but kept in Bergamo and then sold to Atletico Madrid, and Manu Koné, who a year ago seemed all but destined to join and who instead is still at Roma now.
A different case concerns Luka ModriÄ: in the summer of 2018 the Croatian was repeatedly linked with Inter, but Real Madrid kept hold of him because, quoting Florentino Perez himself, "Inter wanted him for free, something never seen before."
Transfermarkt summed it all up, putting together a lineup made up of all the recent disappointments from Interâs transfer market and even adding the coach, Cesc Fabregas. He too was the big dream for the bench after Inzaghiâs departure, but he turned it down, preferring to stay at Como.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in đźđč here.
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