Yanis Massolin (foto: uradna spletna stran kluba)
Inter have completed the signing of Yanis Massolin from Modena, with the Serie B club’s sporting director comparing the midfielder to Josip Iličić and Adrien Rabiot.
Inter have moved early to secure one of the more intriguing young profiles in Italian football, completing the signing of Yanis Massolin from Modena in a deal worth around €3.5 million.
The 23-year-old midfielder has signed a contract with the Nerazzurri but will remain at Modena on loan until the end of the season, continuing his development in Serie B.
Modena sporting director Andrea Castellani has no doubts about the quality Inter are getting and described the transfer as a carefully planned move.
“Massolin is a special player. He has a strong left foot, great physical presence and very good technique,” Castellani said. “He’s 197 centimetres tall, but technically he’s at a very high level. You don’t see profiles like this very often. Inter made a well-considered investment.”
Castellani then went a step further, drawing comparisons with two well-known names from European football.
“Yanis is not a finished product yet. He can play as a central midfielder, but also higher up the pitch,” he explained. “In some ways, he reminds me of Josip Iličić and Adrien Rabiot.”
The reference to Iličić carries particular weight in Italy. The former Palermo, Fiorentina and Atalanta star left a lasting legacy in Serie A, especially during his peak years in Bergamo, where his creativity and left foot made him one of the league’s most distinctive attackers.
Inter see Massolin as a long-term project rather than an immediate solution. Allowing him to stay at Modena gives the club regular minutes in a competitive environment while remaining under close observation.
If Castellani’s assessment proves accurate, Inter may have secured a midfielder with an unusually rare blend of size, technique and attacking instinct.