Inter Milan said Friday they were ready to sue Spanish football league president Javier Tebas over comments he made concerning the Italian team’s bid to sign Real Madrid’s Croatian star Luka Modric this summer.
“Inter Milan announces that it will take legal action against Mr Javier Tebas in relation to statements made today to the press,” the northern Italian club said in a statement.
In a media rant Tebas criticised clubs such as Inter, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City and claimed he had doubts whether the Italian club had the cash to buy midfielder Modric.
“You’ll need to ask why state-owned clubs exist as they are inflating the market when they buy players,” said Tebas.
The La Liga chief also said he wanted to look at how Italian champions Juventus paid €100 million to buy Cristiano Ronaldo from Real earlier this summer.
“Regarding Inter, the offer made for Modric is trickery. The affair of PSG for Neymar is cheating.”
The Italian League said they were “surprised and bitter” at Tebas’s “completely unfounded” comments.
Midfielder Modric, 33, inspired Croatia to the World Cup final last month and was named the player of the tournament.
He had been touted for a move to Italy but opted instead to extend his six-year stay with Real Madrid after securing a salary rise.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!