Keita Balde to complete €6m Inter loan move

Inter are set to complete the signing of Keita Balde from Monaco, Goal can confirm.

The Senegal star will move to the San Siro club initially on loan, which will cost the Serie A hopefuls €6 million (£5.4m/$6.8m).

Meanwhile, the agreement includes an option for Inter to sign the 23-year-old permanently for a further €42m plus a percentage of any future transfer.

Keita only moved to Monaco a year ago after a highly successful season with Lazio, in which he scored 16 Serie A goals but was left upset by actions behind the scenes.

While he was a regular starter for Leonardo Jardim’s side, he never truly recaptured that form in Ligue 1, despite scoring eight times in 33 outings.

Consequently, Monaco feel that the deal that Inter have offered is too good to refuse for a player they captured for €30m to replace Kylian Mbappe.

Agent Roberto Calenda has praised the Ligue 1 side for their treatment of the player.

“Monaco should be thanked,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “They gave Keita back his smile, his serenity and his carefree feeling after years of tension and promises being made and never kept by Lazio's management.

“I'm not surprised they let him leave: the deal will benefit everyone. The player still has the desire to explode in this country, where he grew up as a footballer. At 23, it's the perfect time to do it.

“Inter boss Luciano Spalletti is the perfect person at the perfect moment. He can make Keita make the definitive leap in quality.”

The principality side did not involved that forward in their 3-1 weekend Ligue 1 victory over Nantes, in which goals from Stevan Jovetic (two) and Radamel Falcao guided them to an opening day success.

Monaco, meanwhile, are on the hunt for a player who can replace Keita before the transfer window closes on August 31.

For Inter, he is the latest piece of a jigsaw that has already seen them add eight players to their ranks over the course of the summer. Radja Nainggolan has been their marquee signing from Roma, worth €38 million, while among their other captures have been Lautaro Martinez from Racing and Sime Vrsaljko from Atletico Madrid.

The Italians get their league campaign underway on Sunday, when they travel to Sassuolo.