Malaga sporting director Mario Husillos has revealed that Inter tried to sign Ignacio Camacho in January, only for negotiations to break down.
Signing a defensive midfielder had been one of the Nerazzurri’s priorities last month, and the 24-year-old admitted on Tuesday that he could leave the Andalucians in the summer if they received a lucrative offer for his services.
“I must say we only had one call for Camacho, and that came from Inter,” the club official told Marca.
“I spoke to [Javier] Zanetti and told him that his release clause in January is €20m, which they weren’t willing to pay.”
Husillos then explained the reasons behind Vitorino Antunes’ deadline-day switch to Dynamo Kiev and the futures of Galatasaray loanee Nordin Amrabat and contract rebel Sergio Sanchez.
“The club said ‘no’ at first, but Dynamo increased their bid for the player more and more and we had to make the sale,” he added.
“We value both the economic and sporting sides of the club. We’re a man down but convinced the team can still compete and maintain their [recent] form.
“The sale of a player [like Antunes] always weakens you somewhat, but clearly we have the players to compete. [Our philosophy] is based on hard work and dedication.
“We’re trying to compete, but we won’t make any compromises. We can’t forget the club’s objectives.
“There is an average salary for the playing staff. If he wants to meet us in the middle, he can stay here. It’s in his hands.
“He has a concrete offer on the table, but the entire club’s operations can’t wait for him to make a decision. Perhaps he’s signed a pre-contract with another team, I don’t know.
“I don’t know why he’d want to leave, this is his home and we’d be happy if he stayed. Hopefully he does.
“We have a date [regarding talks with Galatasaray over Amrabat’s future]. When the time comes we will take the appropriate decision.
“We have a unilateral option to sign him outright. It’s in our hands if we want to keep Amrabat permanently.”
