MILAN: Inter Milan have reportedly reached a deal with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala for the transfer of striker Samuel Eto’o, a deal that should make the Cameroon international the highest paid footballer in the world.
After several days of negotiations, Italian media report on Sunday that the two clubs have agreed on a transfer fee of (euro) 27 million ($38.9 million) and that the deal will be formalized on Monday.
Anzhi is expected to give Eto’o a three-year contract worth (euro) 20 million ($28.8 million) per season, surpassing the estimated (euro) 12 million ($17.3 million) that Cristiano Ronaldo earns at Real Madrid and the (euro) 10.5 million ($15.1 million) that Lionel Messi is paid by Barcelona.
Anzhi, from the troubled southern Russian province of Dagestan, is owned by billionaire oil tycoon Suleiman Kerimov.
At 30, Eto’o is still in his prime, but he has already won three Champions League titles – two with Barcelona and one with Inter – and is apparently excited about playing in the developing Russian league. In Forbes magazine’s latest list of the world’s richest people, Kerimov’s net worth was estimated at $7.8 billion. (Agencies)
