Inter director: Late swoop for Mustafi broke down over wage demands

Inter Milan revived its efforts to land Shkodran Mustafi in the final moments of the summer transfer window, but club director Piero Ausilio blames wage demands for scuppering a deal.

Inter initially approached Arsenal over a season-long loan for Mustafi, although this offer was apparently rebuffed in mid-August. The second attempt - this time with an obligation to sign the German on permanent terms after a loan spell - fell flat on deadline day, and Ausilio doesn't believe Inter is culpable.

"The only negotiations we had entered into were for Mustafi, but when we realised that given the demands of the player and maybe in part also the club - we could not reach an agreement in principle, we preferred to let it go," Ausilio told calciomercato on Thursday, with translation from ESPN FC's Matthias Karen.

Ausilio wasn't clear on who he was blaming over Inter's failure to broker Mustafi's signing, but those immediately in the firing line would be the 25-year-old footballer, his father and agent Kujtim Mustafi, and Arsenal.

"I don't know who it was (making the demands), but the conditions were not there to take it further," he continued. "As is the case many times, it happened this time too."

The centre-back, a £35-million arrival from Valencia last summer, will therefore have four months to try and rebuild his career in north London before he can potentially move in January.

Inter, meanwhile, already strengthened its central defensive options over the summer with Milan Skriniar, and the 22-year-old started alongside Miranda in each of Inter Milan's two wins to begin the Serie A campaign.