Anan Khalaili’s father reveals Cristian Chivu ‘took the initiative’ to secure a deal with Inter, after ‘Ipswich Town offered €30m, but Napoli were a long way’ from satisfying Union Saint-Gilloise.
The Israel international seems all set to take his place on the right side of the Inter midfield, replacing Real Madrid bound Denzel Dumfries, after intensive negotiations.
Multiple sources this afternoon report that the deal is done for €25m plus add-ons to reach the €30m asking price, including a 15 per cent cut of the sell on fee to his first club Maccabi Haifa.
Father Madji Khalaili, who himself was a professional football player, spoke to 103FM about the entire situation.
Khalaili all set for Inter medical
“I said that I wouldn’t talk until it was all decided. Well, he will sign and the day after tomorrow fly from Brussels to Milan in a private plane they put at his disposal,” said the player’s father.
“What we experienced over the last two or three weeks has been surreal. Yet I’ve never seen someone so calm. I called him after the negotiations were finalised and he was asleep. I told him it was all done and he just replied: ‘Really? Wow.’ That’s what my son is like.”
There had been reports weeks ago that Napoli had agreed personal terms, but not with Union Saint-Gilloise, while the father confirmed there were numerous other clubs involved.
“We received requests from Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town who made an offer worth €30m, as well as Cagliari, Atalanta and Napoli.
“It’s true that the first formal offer came from Napoli, but it was a long way off satisfying the requests in Belgium.”
Khalaili was convinced that Inter was the right club for him after speaking directly with coach Chivu.
“We had a terrible week, Anan almost missed some training sessions, and the negotiations were so close to collapsing. Cristian Chivu took the initiative by calling personally from Miami, telling him he would be the first choice for that role.
“What convinced Inter to really go for him were his Champions League statistics. I am convinced this won’t be the final big move of his career, his strength and aggressive play are what got him to this point.”
Khalaili turns 22 in September and Union Saint-Gilloise had paid €6.5m to buy him from Maccabi Haifa in 2024.
Last season, he scored three goals in just eight Champions League appearances for the Belgian club.
