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
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."
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