Denzel Dumfries: Why Inter could sell the Man Utd transfer target
Inter could be prepared to sell Manchester United target Denzel Dumfries in order to preserve other stars in the Serie A runners-up's squad.
Dumfries has caught the eye of the Red Devils thanks to his impressive performances at San Siro and for the Netherlands national team.
The 26-year-old full-back would command a transfer fee of around €40 million, a significant profit on the €12.5m paid out to PSV just a year ago.
Dumfries enjoyed a strong debut season in Serie A, where he slotted straight into the Inter first-team as a replacement for Achraf Hakimi following the latter's move to Paris Saint-Germain.
He made a total of 45 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals, while only missing five league clashes all season as Inter fell just short of defending their Scudetto against the challenges of neighbours Milan.
The Netherlands man was particularly impressive going forward, pitching in with a further seven assists to the Inter cause to record a total of 12 goal contributions for the season, a more than respectable tally for a player in his position.
Dumfries out, Lukaku in at Inter?
Inter would certainly prefer to keep hold of their right-back, but circumstances may make his exit inevitable.
He is one of several Nerazzurri stars who have caught the attention of admirers across Europe.
Argentina striker Lautaro Martinez, Inter's top scorer in 2021-22 with 25 strikes, and Alessandro Bastoni have also been subject to fevered transfer speculation, though the club would be reluctant to sell either in the coming window.
One thing is clear, though: in order to fund their ambitious transfer project, some departures appear to be necessary.
Inter are looking to bring both Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku to bolster their attack, which would mean a huge outlay in wages and, in Lukaku's case, transfer fees.
Making that happen without a big sale appears impossible, and Inter may well decide they can dispense with Dumfries rather than Martinez or Bastoni.
Both United and Bayern have been linked with the ex-PSV player's services, with the former offering the chance to link up with compatriot and new manager Erik ten Hag.
According to CalcioMercato no concrete bids have been filed for Dumfries but with the entire summer ahead of us, it is likely that he will attract no little attention from clubs keen to strengthen at the back with an international-level defender.