'He is still one of our players' - Inter vice president Zanetti coy on potential Sanchez departure

By Sports Desk July 21, 2022

Inter vice president Javier Zanetti is unsure whether Alexis Sanchez will remain a Nerazzurri player amid reports of interest from Saudi Arabia.

The Chilean 33-year-old arrived from Manchester United in 2019, initially joining on a season-long loan before signing a permanent deal in 2020.

He was part of the 2020-21 Inter side which delivered their first Serie A title since the 2009-10 season, while he also scored a 121st minute winner to help his team lift the 2022 Supercoppa Italiana in January.

Sanchez only scored five goals in 27 Serie A appearances for Inter last season, though he was either substituted on or off in 25 of those matches, and there has subsequently been talk of a move away from San Siro.

It has been reported that Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr have made an offer for Sanchez, but Zanetti was coy when asked about the forward's situation.

Zanetti told En Cancha: "He has started training with the team and is training with the whole squad.

"The transfer market is open, but today he is still one of our players."

Having already signed Romelu Lukaku on loan from Chelsea, Inter had looked set to further strengthen their attacking options with the acquisition of Paulo Dybala, who left Juventus at the end of his contract in June.

The 19-time Serie A champions appeared to be frontrunners to sign Dybala, but the Argentine has instead joined Jose Mourinho's Europa Conference League winners Roma ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.

Inter may also lose Milan Skriniar, who has been strongly linked with a move to French giants Paris Saint-Germain, although Nerazzurri goalkeeper Samir Handanovic said it was "essential" to keep the defender on Thursday.

 

Related items

  • Many-time champions JC, STGC start Manning Cup on positive note Many-time champions JC, STGC start Manning Cup on positive note

    Many-time champions Jamaica College (JC) and St George’s College kicked off their Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association/Digicel Manning Cup campaigns in a positive manner as they blanked Pembroke Hall and Holy Trinity High School 9-0 and 2-0, respectively, on Tuesday.

    Jamaica College were led by striker Giovannie Taylor, who scored in the fifth, 45th and 80th minutes. Nashordo Gibbs (39th and 64th) had a brace, while Javaun Mills (72nd), Dujoni Thompson (78th), and substitutes Jamone Howell (87th) and Keshaun-Lee Chin (90th) got the others in the lopsided affair that pleased head coach Davion Ferguson.

    “You always want to start with a win because nine goals in any game is a big win, and that was what we wanted to do. The performance, in some parts, I think, was good, but we want to continue to improve and try as best as possible to focus on ourselves and not really look outside, as the external is out of our control,” Ferguson said.

    “The aim is to give of our best ever year, so once we give our best, wherever that takes us, we will be satisfied. Our players have matured well, and so I think they will have a really good season,” he added.

    Meanwhile, Matthew Spence (10th) and Payton Larmond (61st) did the damage for St George’s College in their comfortable win over neighbours Holy Trinity at Winchester Park.

    Assistant coach Marcel Gayle is also anticipating more improvements from his North Street-based team as the season progresses.

    “Kudos to the guys; I thought they played well, but I thought we could have been a little more assertive in the final third. We created a lot of opportunities but we needed to be a bit more patient. Nevertheless, the objective was met with three points and the clean sheet,” said Gayle.

    Tuesday’s results

    Hydel 9, Ardenne 0

    Clan Carthy 0, Eltham 5

    Ascot 1, Bridgeport 0

    St George’s College 2, Holy Trinity 0

    Norman Manley 0, St Catherine 3 (St Catherine awarded win as Norman Manley was deemed to have forfeited the game as a result of an unprepared pitch)

    Wednesday’s fixtures

    Kingston Technical vs Camperdown

    Calabar vs Haile Selassie

    Vauxhall vs STATHS

    *All games are scheduled for 3:30pm

     

  • Kane not setting limits on England achievements after milestone appearance Kane not setting limits on England achievements after milestone appearance

    Harry Kane insisted the sky is the limit for what he can achieve with England after marking his 100th Three Lions appearance with two goals against Finland.

    Kane, who became the 10th England centurion on Tuesday, marked the milestone with a second-half brace after seeing a header ruled out for offside before the break. 

    The Bayern Munich striker has been directly involved in 85 goals (68 goals and 17 assists) since his England debut in March 2015. 

    He also netted his 26th and 27th goals at Wembley, the most that any Three Lions player has managed at the iconic venue.

    Kane also became the third England player to score on his 100th appearance, after Wayne Rooney (2014) and Bobby Charlton (1970). 

    Having taken inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo's 900th career goal ahead of kick-off, Kane has no signs of stopping yet as he eyes 100 goals for his country.

    "I try never to set limits on what I can achieve," said Kane. "I know playing in this team, I am going to get chances and, if I get chances, I feel like I can score many goals.

    "I am going to keep going as long as I can and who knows what we can achieve? Some of the top players in the world have scored more than I have, so there are targets there to try and achieve."

    Kane's double also led England to consecutive victories in the Nations League for the first time since 2018, while helping them maintain their unbeaten record against Finland. 

    The Three Lions return to Nations League action next month when they welcome Greece to Wembley on October 10, before travelling to Finland three days later. 

  • Dom Rep, Bermuda victorious in Group D of League B; Belize, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis remain perfect in League C Dom Rep, Bermuda victorious in Group D of League B; Belize, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis remain perfect in League C

    Dominican Republic maintained their positive start to the Concacaf Nations League campaign, while Bermuda is now on the board as both registered victories in the League B, Group D double-header at the ABFA Technical Center in Piggotts, Antigua and Barbuda on Tuesday.

    The Dominican Republic defeated Dominica 2-0 in a top-of-the-table clash, and Bermuda clipped hosts Antigua and Barbuda 1-0 to end the September window on a positive note.

    With the win, Dominican Republic moved up to six points, three ahead of Bermuda and Dominica, while Antigua and Barbuda will head into the next window without a point.

    Dominican Republic vs. Dominica

    Having won their opening encounters, this contest was expected to be a closely contested affair, but it was the Dominican Republic who proved the better team on the day.

    Ronaldo Vasquez broke the deadlock with a cheeky finish in the 11th minute.

    Dorny Romero doubled the lead with 25th-minute strike that secured the points for Dominican Republic to boost their promotion hopes.