Zilliacus warns Zhang he is ready to pounce for Inter

Oaktree leave Suning and the Zhang family no wiggle room, as Inter could be repossessed on Tuesday, but investor Thomas Zilliacus insists he is ready to pounce.

The deadline is May 20 to repay the €395m to Oaktree, the full sum including interest from the €275m loan that was taken out three years ago to get the Nerazzurri through the pandemic.

Zhang had been on the verge of agreeing a new financing deal with Pimco at an even higher interest rate, but that seems to have fallen through, or is at least going down to the wire.

According to Sky Sport Italia, Oaktree are going to snub any attempts by Suning to work out new terms, making clear the agreement has been in place for three years and has not changed.

The Financial Times had already reported that Oaktree were upset Suning did not sell Inter when given the chance during the last three years.

It also noted that, unlike Elliott Management with Milan in 2019, Oaktree do not want to take over a football club and are therefore seeking a buyer as soon as possible.

Zilliacus has long had Inter plans

Finnish investor Zilliacus has been very publicly declaring his intentions to purchase Inter for months and is making his presence known in this difficult moment too.

“So now it is Oaktree’s fault that Suning cannot repay the loan?” he wrote on social media.

“Inter needs stability and continuity, not owners whose changing fortunes hurt the club and the fans. Time for a new ownership structure.”

Zilliacus has long been trying to introduce the idea of getting fans to have a greater say in the running of the club, in turn paying to hold minority shareholder status.

Post 2 hours ago from Steven Zhang. So now it is Oaktree's fault that Suning cannot repay the loan? Inter needs stability and continuity, not owners whose changing fortunes hurt the club and the fans. Time for a new ownership structure. #nerazzurri #intermilan #forzainter… pic.twitter.com/sP5WnHkG2x

— Thomas Zilliacus (@TZilliacus) May 18, 2024