Swiss football star signs for Inter from Manchester City

Swiss defender Manuel Akanji has revealed several surprising reasons for choosing Inter Milan over city rivals AC Milan, following his last-minute loan move from Manchester City, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

He joined Inter on deadline day on a €1 million loan, with an option to buy for €15 million at the end of the season.

While strongly linked with Milan before the move, Akanji said it wasn’t just the lack of Champions League football that swayed his decision.

“There were other options,” he said during a press conference ahead of Switzerland’s World Cup qualifiers.

“I had clear ideas. I wanted to keep playing top-level European football, and with Inter, I can certainly do that.”

He also shared some personal and emotional connections to Inter:

• His first football shirt was Christian Vieri’s Inter jersey.
• Inter tried to sign him three years ago.
• His sister’s boyfriend is a huge Inter fan.

“So yes, I had several connections to the club,” he added.

Akanji also clarified that his departure from Manchester City wasn’t due to failure or a lack of support from Pep Guardiola.

“There were six centre-backs in the squad. Pep was honest — he told us playing time wouldn’t be easy to come by. I knew the competition was tough.”

Although he hasn’t had time yet to settle in or get to know his Inter teammates well, Akanji is looking forward to his home debut at San Siro.

“I played at San Siro once with Borussia Dortmund — the atmosphere was incredible. I can’t wait to meet everyone at Inter.”