Inter Milan agree ‘bargain’ free transfer for 46-goal striker who rejected Newcastle United

Inter Milan have snapped up Porto striker Mehdi Taremi on a free transfer, according to reports.

Newcastle United were rumoured to be sniffing around the Iranian during their darkest hour. In January 2022, the Saudi-backed regime was in its infancy and scurrying to keep the Magpies up.

Relegation loomed and Toon chiefs worked around the clock to give Eddie Howe five new players to kick-start their quest for survival. Callum Wilson’s lengthy injury made signing a striker essential, with Newcastle ultimately turning to Chris Wood.

Taremi - who has 46 goals for Iran - revealed last summer that the Magpies approached him in desperate need. He said: “At that time (January 2022), I didn’t imagine that Newcastle would get such a good team that would qualify for the Champions League (the following 2022-23 season).

“Newcastle were fighting not to go down (back in the 2021-22 season). I thought that staying at FC Porto was better. And we had many games in the Champions League, I couldn’t lose that. FC Porto is a very big club. It has a brilliant background.

“Every year we fight for the championship and in the Champions League (and) we usually go all the way to the knockout stage. Of course, with this budget our competition is limited, but nobody can say that we are a team without ambition.”

Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano now claims Serie A giants Inter have agreed a two-year deal with the striker. The 31-year-old’s contract expires in June after four years at Porto.