Andy van der Meyde believes Inter should keep hold of his compatriot Denzel Dumfries, but if the Blues are to sign him, they should spend at least €80m after getting Marc Cucurella for €65m.
The Dutch winger is on Chelsea’s sights, but Simone Inzaghi has insisted that he doesn’t want to see any of his stars leave the Stadio Meazza in the last two weeks of the summer transfer window.
Inter must balance the books, so they have sold Andrea Pinamonti to Sassuolo and Cesare Casadei to Chelsea and Nerazzurri fans hope these two sales will be the last two of the summer.
But what if Chelsea make a last call to get Dumfries?
“They should just say ‘No, thank you,'” Van der Meyde, a former Inter winger, told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“And then, they should go to Denzel and say: ‘You stay here because we need you to win the Scudetto.’ If it’s a matter of money [for the player], Inter may also give him a pay rise in the future. From the outside, he is one of the best in Europe in his role.”
Chelsea have signed Cucurella for €65m this summer, so how much is Dumfries worth?
“At least €80m,” said van der Meyde, “and I hope Inter won’t demand less than that.
“Beware, Dumfries is worth the Premier League and I understand he’d get more money in England, but he is too important for Inzaghi’s 3-5-2. Where would Inter find another like him at the end of the transfer window?”
Dumfries scored a late winner in Inter’s 2-1 win over Lecce on Saturday. He has entered the second year of his contract at the Stadio Meazza, having joined the Nerazzurri a year ago from PSV Eindhoven for €15m.
“I’ve always thought Italy was perfect for him,” continued van der Meyde.
“He is a hard worker, very difficult to stop. He has intensity and is always dangerous, also with the national team. I’ve seen him improve tactically in Italy, he should not leave. The team will be more aggressive this season and Romelu Lukaku will want to prove that he is the best striker in the world, dragging everyone else.”
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