Christian Eriksen can be had for a free transfer this summer, but according to a report by The Mirror, Italian side Inter Milan is hoping to secure his services earlier in a deal they are hoping will benefit all parties enough to force a deal through.
According to Mirror journalist John Cross, Inter has approached Eriksen with a four-and-a-half-year deal worth double his current wages, a value of around $208,000 per week. They have also offered Tottenham Hotspur a $26 million transfer fee hoping to secure a January deal.
Inter is motivated by the fact that Eriksen would likely command a far higher wage should he be allowed to reach the end of his Spurs deal this summer, with clubs often willing to pay far higher wages for top players that are available on a free transfer. They also would get a jump on other clubs hoping to sign Eriksen this summer given his full availability as a free agent.
Inter is also locked in a title race this season, and the boost an in-form Eriksen could provide would couple nicely with the club’s league-best defensive showing. Sitting two points behind Juventus at the top of the Serie A table, Inter has a serious chance to break the years-long stranglehold Juve currently possesses on the Italian top flight.
An in-form Eriksen is also not a given, however. With just two goals and two assists in Premier League play, Eriksen has been mired in a season-long slump at Spurs, although debate rages as to the root cause of his struggles. The length of his dip in form has caused some to believe he is beginning to permanently decline, although still at just 27 years old, many argue he is simply frustrated by his contract situation at Tottenham and is playing out his current deal hoping for a new opportunity.
Spurs will not want to lose the Dane before the end of the season given the hefty injury list manager Jose Mourinho currently faces, but the cash offer will be enticing given the prospect of losing Eriksen for nothing in the summer. Tottenham sits eighth in the Premier League table, and while the nine-point gap to the Champions League places is daunting, Spurs could still make a charge with yet half the season remaining, so selling top players midseason remains a daunting thought.