How Alexis Sanchez forced Joao Mario to West Ham

25 gen 2018

Inter Milan has been looking to offload Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario for the better part of a year now. Since making a high-profile move to the San Siro in 2016, the EURO 2016 winner has failed to settle into life in Italy, and has acquired the dreaded ‘bust’ title.

With the news that he is in London for his physical prior to an imminent move to West Ham United, it appears Luciano Spalletti and Piero Ausilio are finally on the verge of achieving that goal.

The Premier League was always seen as a landing spot for Joao Mario. The former-Sporting Lisbon product was heavily rumored to be part of a swap with Henrikh Mkhitaryan that would send him to Manchester United.

However, as we now know, the Armenian is a Gunner, where he was sent in exchange for Alexis Sanchez.

Without a possibility of moving him to Old Trafford, Inter also explored the possibility of sending him to Paris in exchange for PSG’s Lucas Moura. But, as it turns out, the market for a failed midfielder is slim, and Ausilio turned his attention back to the Premier League, and has found an interested party in West Ham.