Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari is
expected to complete a £12.7m move to Inter Milan on
Thursday.
The 23-year-old Ghana international has agreed a four-year
contract with the Italian champions. The signing suggests that
Inter boss Jose Mourinho has given up hope of signing Frank Lampard
this summer.
Mourinho had been desperate to land an attacking central
midfielder - Lampard was his first choice, with Muntari regarded as
the best alternative. Portsmouth signed Muntari from Udinese for
£7m in May 2007 and he was an ever-present in their first team last
season, scoring seven goals.
Last week Pompey boss Harry Redknapp said he was very reluctant
to allow the Ghana international to leave Fratton Park. "We haven't
spoken to anybody and I don't want to sell Sulley anyway," he said.
"He's a top player. We don't have to let anyone leave and we
definitely don't want to. (He is) going nowhere, nowhere at
all."
But the lure of playing for the Italian champions in the
Champions League, under the guidance of Mourinho, was too much for
Muntari to resist. Mourinho will now hope to sign Lampard when his
Chelsea contract expires next summer.
