Inter Milan chairman Giuseppe Marotta publicly criticized Marco Palestra after the new Chelsea signing 'reneged' on a verbal commitment to join the Serie A club. The 21-year-old full-back, who came through Inter's youth academy, had agreed to rejoin his boyhood club for £43 million from Atalanta, but Chelsea hijacked the deal at manager Xabi Alonso's request.
Verbal Commitment Broken
Palestra's move to Stamford Bridge was confirmed two weeks ago, with the £47 million signing penning a seven-year contract. Inter were desperate to buy back their former player after selling Denzel Dumfries to Real Madrid but could not compete with the Premier League club's offer of a much larger wage package. Marotta confirmed that Palestra had 'verbally committed' to returning to the San Siro, and the finer details of his contract were being finalized when Chelsea intervened.
Speaking in a press conference on Monday to mark the start of the 2026/27 season, the Inter CEO dismissed Palestra's decision as a 'lifestyle choice' and slammed the role of his agent. 'We need to control costs, not investments. And I’m referring to the players, who perhaps earn too much even if they’re free,' Marotta said, as quoted by Goal.com. 'And then also the agents, who are increasingly important in the fate of football clubs. These situations are sometimes disproportionate.'
Marotta's Criticism of Agent Influence
Marotta elaborated on the breakdown of the deal, stating: 'The Palestra case is the result of a change of heart on the part of the player, who reneged on a verbal commitment made the previous month. His agent played an even more significant role in indicating the path the player should take. And so we had to give in, and the player went to a league against which we’re not competitive with.'
He added: 'We already had an agreement with Atalanta for Palestra. It’s not that we pulled out of an agreement, let’s say the player made a lifestyle choice. I’ve already expressed my opinion on the player and the agent, it’s not that Atalanta dealt differently.'
Alonso's Delight at Chelsea Signing
Meanwhile in west London, Alonso could not be happier with the acquisition of the Italy international. 'He has many great qualities for modern football,' the new Chelsea manager said during his first official press conference on Monday. 'He can play in a back-four or a back-five, on the left. We need to keep working with him to adapt to the Premier League. He has a great mentality in terms of competitiveness and his hunger.'
Chelsea kick off the new season with a trip to local rivals Fulham on August 24.
