The Nerazzurri paid Monaco an estimated €40 million for the midfielder but the club’s former president believes he still represents better value than the Ivorian
Former Inter president Massimo Moratti believes Geoffrey Kondogbia represents a far better signing for the club than Yaya Toure.
Inter coach Roberto Mancini repeatedly expressed his desire to be reunited with Toure, with whom he won a Premier League title during his time in charge of Manchester City.
However, the Ivorian decided to stay at the Etihad, prompting Inter to turn their attention to Kondogbia, who joined the club for a fee in the region of €40 million from Monaco.
Despite the huge outlay, Moratti believes his successor, Erick Thohir, has done a great piece of business, arguing that Kondogbia has much more to offer than the 32-year-old Toure.
“Is he even more suited to Inter than Yaya? Yes, certainly, both in terms of his lower wage and his age,” the oil tycoon told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Thohir called me, because by the rules of the club, he must have my consent for operations above €20m.
“I immediately felt very strongly about the deal and I was happy to give my ok. It was a major operation, but the alternatives were even more expensive.
“Also, you can build an entire project on a boy of just 22. Toure is more experienced but Kondogbia will be spurred on by the fans and will grow with the team.
“He chose Inter because he saw that we can take the next step forward together. I think it was a very important purchase for everyone involved.
“It’s good for the needs of the team in order to allow Mancini to work more calmly, and to lift the whole club by bringing enthusiasm to the fans.
“Thohir could have just got by for a few years. Instead, he’s building a team to win.”
Indeed, Moratti has been enthused by Thohir’s other transfer dealings, with Inter already having signed Jeison Murillo from Granada, Miranda from Atletico Madrid and Martin Montoya from Barcelona.
“I know little about the Colombian [Murillo] but he had a great Copa America,” he stated.
“The Brazilian [Miranda] is strong and experienced, something that will help him fit in quickly.
“As for the Spaniard, one only needs to look at the club he’s coming from…”
Having brought in a midfielder and three new defenders, it is now thought that Inter will look to sign a high-profile striker and the San Siro side have been linked with former forward Mario Balotelli, who has struggled since joining Liverpool from AC Milan last year.
However, Moratti does not believe there is much chance of the Nerazzurri re-signing the Italy international.
“I have not heard any talk about him in recent months,” the ex-Inter supremo added.
“Mario is a great guy and I still hope that he gets back to his best.
“But now I do not think that he would be deemed functional within this project.”