Como and Inter avoid bidding war chase for Chelsea defender Chalobah
Chalobah, 27, is available for around £35m and has spent this summer at the World Cup with England, where his club future will be resolved once the tournament finishes.
Como have already had two proposals rejected by Chelsea but are preparing to return with a fresh offer, according to club president Mirwan Suwarso, who addressed the situation in comments to Tuttosport.
Suwarso revealed he had spoken directly to Inter Milan chairman Giuseppe Marotta to defuse any sense of rivalry between the two Italian clubs.
“We’ve been the subject of media reports about us competing with another Italian team for a British player,” he said.
“I said, ‘You know what? Why don’t I call the president of the other team and ask him, Do you want him? If you want him, go ahead, we’ll back out.
“But if you buy him, give me one of your players.’ And he said, ‘Thanks for the call. I appreciate it, we’ll let you know by the end of the day. If we don’t go ahead, these are the other objectives we were pursuing. We’re happy to share them with you.’ So, for me, this type of relationship is beneficial for both clubs; it helps us all grow.”
Inter’s interest in Chalobah forms part of a wider search for defensive reinforcements, with the Serie A champions also known to have discussed free agent John Stones as well as Tottenham pair Cristian Romero and Djed Spence as alternative options at centre-back. Marotta’s side want to bring in two new centre-backs this summer, meaning Chalobah is just one of several names under consideration rather than a settled priority.
For Como, meanwhile, Chalobah represents one of the more ambitious targets in a summer defined by continued investment as the club looks to build on last season’s return to Serie A, with Suwarso’s approach to Marotta underlining how the two clubs are trying to avoid an expensive bidding war over the same player.
