Inter’s 10 biggest sales of all time

16 Feb 2022 10:59 GMT |
Updated: 24 Sept 2026 15:42 BST |
7 min read

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Inter Milan are one of the most successful clubs in Italian football and their famous blue and black stripes make them one of the most popular and recognisable teams on the planet.

As such, it’s no surprise that a number of the sport’s finest stars have walked through the club’s doors and plied their trade at the San Siro.

However, like every club, Inter have had to bid farewell to a number of their biggest stars over the past few years.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through Inter’s 10 biggest sales of all time.

10. Hernan Crespo – €26m (to Chelsea, 2003)

When Roman Abramovich took ownership of Chelsea in 2003, the club quickly went on a spending spree to bring the Blues up to the level of the other elite Premier League sides and Hernan Crespo was first on their agenda.

A €26m transfer was soon agreed, with Crespo leaving Inter after just one year at the club, and the Italian giants were heavily criticised by the Argentine’s former strike partner Christian Vieri, who was upset by the club’s decision to finalise a transfer.

Crespo had scored 16 goals during his only season at Inter and after a disappointing spell with Chelsea, he eventually returned to the club, via a loan spell at arch-rivals AC Milan.

9. Samuel Eto’o – €27m (to Anzhi, 2011)

Backed by billionaire owner Suleyman Kerimov, Anzhi Makhachkala invested hundreds of millions in player transfers and wages in the early 2010s as they bid to conquer Russia and make an impact in Europe.

When Samuel Eto’o joined Anzhi, he became the world’s highest paid player, earning €20m a year after tax, although he left in 2013 after Kerimov pulled the plug on his investment.

Eto’o spent two years at Inter before his move to Russia, scoring 53 goals in 102 games and helping the club to a famous treble in 2009-10, including their first Champions League title since 1965.

8. Mario Balotelli – €29.5m (to Man City, 2010)

Forever an enigma, Mario Balotelli fell out with Inter head coach Jose Mourinho, the Inter fans, and even some of his team-mates before he eventually left the club in 2010.

All of the drama eventually led to Balotelli leaving Italy altogether after Roberto Mancini’s Man City came calling. The Italian would return to the city with AC Milan a few years later, though.

Balotelli scored 28 goals in 86 games for Inter and he won the Premier League during his time at Man City.

7. Mateo Kovacic – €38m (to Real Madrid, 2015)

Mateo Kovacic joined Inter from Dinamo Zagreb in 2013 and he spent two years at the club before earning a lucrative move to Real Madrid for €38m.

The Croatia midfielder played 97 times for Inter before his move to Los Blancos, but he was unable to establish himself as a pivotal player at the Bernabeu, despite winning three Champions League trophies in a row.

He subsequently left Real Madrid to join Chelsea on loan, before moving to Stamford Bridge permanently.

6. Ronaldo – €45m (to Real Madrid, 2002)

Though not at the peak of his powers, Ronaldo was still one of the very best players in the world when Real Madrid decided to make him their next Galactico.

Coming off a starring display at the 2002 World Cup, in which he scored two goals in the final versus Germany, Los Blancos made him their primary target to link up with the likes of Luis Figo, Raul, and Zinedine Zidane.

Even though Ronaldo was a phenomenon, his major injury issues while at Inter meant that receiving a fee of €46m represented a good piece of business. He left having scored a whopping 59 goals in just 99 games for the Nerazzurri.

5. Mauro Icardi – €50m (to PSG, 2020)

PSG will probably lament the fact they already had an agreement in place to sign Mauro Icardi for a huge fee of €50m after initially taking him on loan from Inter.

Icardi had cemented himself as one of Serie A’s best strikers during his time at Inter, netting 124 goals in 219 games, but he fell out with the club’s supporters and the writing was soon on the wall.

The Argentine subsequently struggled at PSG and he was sold to Galatasaray in 2023.

4. Andre Onana – €50.2m (to Man Utd, 2023)

Shot-stopper Andre Onana bid farewell to San Siro after just one season, but Inter must have been delighted when Manchester United wrapped up the move.

After signing him on a Bosman deal, they managed to flip the Cameroonian for €50.2m after an eye-catching campaign in between the sticks, and he subsequently flopped at Old Trafford.

Onana performed exceptionally as Inter marched to the Champions League final in 2022-23, which prompted Erik ten Hag to reunite with his former Ajax prodigy. However, Onana made a string of errors during his first two seasons at Man Utd and he was sent on the first of two loan spells to Trabzonspor in 2025.

3. Achraf Hakimi – €68m (to PSG, 2021)

After a season that undoubtedly confirmed his status as one of European football’s finest full-backs, PSG were more than happy to sign Achraf Hakimi for a fee of €68m.

The Moroccan was a massive hit at Inter, following his move from Real Madrid, and he was the perfect player in Antonio Conte’s 3-5-2 system, registering 18 goal contributions during his only season at San Siro.

However, the club were in a desperate financial state due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other costs after the 2020-21 season, which meant at least one star player had to be sold. Hakimi became the most expensive full-back in history upon his move to PSG.

2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – €69.5m (to Barcelona, 2009)

In what will go down as one of the best pieces of business in Inter’s entire history, they received €69.5m for Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2009, while Samuel Eto’o also joined the club.

Ibrahimovic had been Inter’s best player since his arrival from Juventus, scoring 66 goals in 117 matches, but Mourinho was eager to offload him following a lucrative offer from Barcelona, who were willing to let Eto’o move in the opposite direction.

Using the money earned through Ibrahimovic’s sale, Inter signed Eto’o, Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder, and all three went on to play key roles in their treble win in 2009-10.

1. Romelu Lukaku – €113m (to Chelsea, 2021)

In the summer of 2021, Chelsea were in desperate need of a new striker and in that moment they turned to a former player to help them out.

Unfortunately for the London side, Romelu Lukaku and Inter weren’t entirely desperate to oblige, so Chelsea were forced to break their own transfer record to bring the Belgium international back to the club.

In total, Chelsea paid no less than €113m for Lukaku, making him their record signing at the time and Inter’s record departure in one fell swoop. The move became even more astonishing after Lukaku re-joined Inter on loan just one year after returning to Chelsea following a poor season with the Blues.

The 10 biggest Inter sales of all time

Carlo Garganese is a highly-respected football writer, broadcaster and editor with more than 15 years of experience working at the highest level for major global brands. Garganese spent 12 years at Goal.com, where he played a significant role in building and developing the website into one of the largest football media organisations in the world.

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