Inter Milan’s acrimonious exit from the Club World Cup sparked strong comments from captain Lautaro Martinez, who took aim at wantaway players. With some squad members making no secret that their future lies elsewhere, the latest Al Hilal transfer news sees Simone Inzaghi target one of his former players.
Lautaro Martinez Tells Teammate to “Leave” in Sensational Outburst
Inter Milan were dumped out of the Club World Cup on Monday after a spineless performance against Fluminense, who ran out eventual 2-0 victors.
Despite being heavily favored by live betting sites, Inter’s defeat in Charlotte was met with heavy criticism by a disgruntled fanbase, who are coming to terms with the post-Inzaghi era.
Such was the fickleness of their performance, that captain Lautaro Martinez publicly apologized to fans for the display, before launching into an angry tirade aimed at members of the squad.
Several players have expressed their desire to leave during the summer window — not least Hakan Calhanoglu, who has flirted with the possibility of a move to his native Turkey.
In his interview, Martinez said: ‘The coach gave us a strong push, even if today we went out of the competition. We have a clear message: anyone who wants to stay must stay, anyone who doesn’t want to stay here should leave.
“We represent an important club and must challenge for important objectives.”
Although Martinez didn’t explicitly name any of his teammates, Inter president Bepe Marotta later said that “when a player no longer wants to be somewhere, it’s right for them to go.”
He continued, saying that although no one has “expressed such a desire,” he” “imagines Martinez was talking about Calhanoglu.”
He said that the club will talk with Calhanoglu to “find the best possible resolution.”
🚨⚠️ Lautaro Martínez: “I want to fight for top titles. Who wants to stay at Inter, very good and let’s fight. Who doesn’t want to stay, they can go and leave”.
“We need players who want to be here. We are wearing an important jersey. We need top mentality or please, leave”. pic.twitter.com/wNO5XuroNt
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 30, 2025
Al Hilal Transfer News Sees Calhanoglu Linked With Saudi Move
Although transfer rumors have largely been centred around Calhanoglu linked with a move to Galatasaray, FootItalia understands Simone Inzaghi is keen to reunite with the 31-year-old.
Calhanoglu proved to be a key piece of Inzaghi’s Scudetto winning side in 2023-24, as well as Inter’s run to two Champions League finals.
The former AC Milan midfielder enjoyed a late career renaissance under the now-Al Hilal manager, arriving at the same time as Inzaghi and racking up 40 goal involvements in 128 games since.
Although Inzaghi has some special midfielders at his disposal, including Ruben Neves and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, the Italian is keen to add further depth to the Saudi champions.
On the same night Inter were dumped out of the competition, Al Hilal prevailed in a fascinating 4-3 extra-time victory against Manchester City, proving that Inzaghi’s project is well underway.
Offering up favorable terms for a move is, of course, not a problem for cash-rich Al Hilal, so it will be up to the player as to where he ends up after Inter.
