Frattesi case, what happened between Inter, Lazio and the Lega Calcio: the Marotta-Lotito call, it closes with a new formula

The initial agreement between Inter and Lazio was for a €1 million loan with an option to buy for €14 million, which can become an obligation if the Biancocelesti reach 10th place in the table or hit a certain number of appearances. Inter have also kept a 50% share of any future capital gain.

This morning Serie A blocked the move for both clubs. Lazio's transfer business is currently restricted and must balance at zero, but the final stop from Via Rosellini came over the obligation-to-buy formula. As things stand, Lotito's club cannot guarantee in advance that they can hit a zero balance for this transfer window year, a constraint caused by problems with the liquidity ratio and the squad cost ratio, once the €14 million obligation to buy is triggered. In essence, to complete the deal with this formula, Lazio had to already have the operating margin set aside to treat it as a permanent option.

Phone calls started flying straight away. Inter and Marotta were clearly irritated, while the player and his agents, already at the airport, watched the plane booked for Rome slip away before their eyes. Lotito and Fabiani, meanwhile, took a calmer, more conciliatory line as they looked for a new formula.

Those talks produced the definitive formula for the deal, with the green light finally given for Frattesi to fly to Rome. The transfer is being completed as a paid loan, no longer at EUR1 million but at EUR5 million. The option to buy also remains, but it has dropped from the initial EUR14 million to a total of EUR10 million plus bonuses. The 50% share of the capital gain from any future resale also stays in place.