Lautaro Martinez and Hakan Calhanoglu clear the air over phone call after Inter captain blasts midfielder while Serie A giants drop asking price amid Galatasaray interest

Tensions boiled over at Inter after Martinez publicly lashed out following the club’s Club World Cup exit. The captain’s pointed post-match remarks: “Whoever wants to leave, should leave,” were widely understood to be aimed at Calhanoglu, amid persistent rumours linking the midfielder with Galatasaray.

Calhanoglu fired back via social media, labelling the Argentine’s comments “divisive” and reminding that “respect is not a one-way street.” Amid the growing storm, the two eventually spoke directly over the phone, not to fully resolve the rift, but to explain their sides and attempt to cool rising tensions ahead of pre-season, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

This feud arrives at a delicate time for Inter. The Club World Cup elimination and internal unrest could jeopardise squad harmony just weeks before pre-season training under Cristian Chivu. Club officials and dressing-room leaders reportedly believe the issue should have been handled privately, rather than igniting a media firestorm. To make matters worse, forward Marcus Thuram appeared to “like” one of the critical posts, deepening the sense of division.

From a transfer standpoint, the situation threatens to destabilise plans. Inter now face a balancing act between managing a key player's discontent and maintaining leverage in the market.

The Turkish club are pushing hard for Calhanoglu, and are in active talks via his agent Nerazzurri’s initial €40 million (£34m/$46m) asking price has reportedly dropped to €30m (£26m/$35m). Calhanoglu has not made a formal transfer request, instead keeping his stance deliberately vague.

The lowered valuation shows some softening on Inter's part, likely to prompt a bid from Gala. A sale will free up Inter to go after another attacker, with Atalanta star Ederson at the top of their list.