Argentinian defender Tomas Palacios has completed his Inter Milan transfer, signing a five-year contract.
The Nerazzurri have confirmed the 21-year-old’s arrival in an official announcement. He makes the switch from Argentine club Independiente Rivadivia.
Inter have been pursuing Palacios for a couple of weeks now.
The Nerazzurri have decided to make the young Argentine their major defensive reinforcement for the summer transfer window.
Palacios checks a couple of boxes that Inter have been looking for.
Firstly, the 21-year-old is a left-sided defender who would be capable of backing up Alessandro Bastoni in Inter’s back three.
The Nerazzurri had made that profile a priority. Particularly after a long-term injury to Tajon Buchanan at wingback, they don’t see Carlos Augusto as a long-term solution in that role.
Therefore, Palacios is a player who Inter hope can provide cover for Italian international Bastoni.
Then, there is the matter of Palacios’s age. At 21 years of age, the Argentine certainly fits the profile of a young player with room to grow that Inter owners Oaktree Capital have sought.
In this sense, the Nerazzurri are hoping that Palacios can follow a similar path to Yann Bisseck at the club.
Official – Tomas Palacios Joins Inter Milan
Inter had gone through a fairly exhaustive search for a defensive signing over the last few weeks.
Last month, the Nerazzurri had seemingly been close to a deal for Juan Cabal before Juventus hijacked the move and signed the Colombian from Hellas Verona.
But Inter then identified Palacios as their main target.
The process of signing the Argentine has proven a little bit convoluted.
That is because of Palacios’s previous ownership situation.
The 21-year-old had been on loan at Independiente Rivadivia from Talleres. Furthermore, Rivadivia had a purchase option when the loan ends at the end of December.
Therefore, Inter needed to wait for those two Argentine clubs to work out a structure of a deal that would allow them to sell Palacios to Inter.
But in the end, the Nerazzurri have gotten it over the line.
Palacios joins on a five-year deal, Inter have confirmed.
Reports widely indicate that the fee for the Argentine is around €6.5 million, plus €4.5 million in add-ons.
Palacios will reportedly earn wages of €600,000 net per season.
The 21-year-old becomes Inter’s fourth senior signing of the summer transfer window. They had already brought in Mehdi Taremi, Piotr Zielinski, and Josep Martinez.
Palacios has made five appearances for the Argentine Under-20 team.
