Inter Milan are already working on a deal for Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards and want to do so before anyone else gets their foot in the door.
The Serie A champions are looking for a natural centre-back for Cristian Chivu and the Palace man ticks almost every box on their list. Time helps them, too: his contract expires in 2027, meaning January could change things.
For Crystal Palace, it’s a reminder that a deal that was left to drag quickly turned into trouble.
What is “Inter” looking for?
According to L’Interista, Inter have a very clear brief. They want a long-term project and a centre-back who is proven and ready to contribute immediately, not someone past their prime.
Money has to work too. Inter want a reasonable transfer fee and wages in line with their current wage structure, and Richards fits that bracket.
Chivu is said to hold him in high esteem. The Inter boss sees Richards as a modern defender: tall, strong in man-marking and good at reading the game. For this reason, the club management is already on the job.
Why does Chris Richards’ 2027 contract matter?
This is the part that worries the palace. Richards, whose contract expires in 2027, will be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement starting Jan. 1.
This gives Inter two routes. They could wait and sign him on a free transfer or offer him a low-cost deal in January to bring him in six months early.
Either way, the leverage is in the hands of the buyer. Palace have already been looking at centre-backs, with Trabzonspor’s Chibuike Nwaiwu on their radar for January, and Richards’ exit will make that search even more urgent.
Is a January move on the cards?
Italian interest is nothing new. Serie A clubs were sniffing around Richards in the summer and his agent Alan Redmond confirmed this in October, although nothing happened at the time.
Redmond said: “Whoever wanted to change teams did. We had some inquiries from Serie A clubs about Crystal Palace defender Chris Richards.”
He left the door open for this winter: “In his case, maybe something could happen in January; we’ll see. As for the rest, it’s more likely that certain deals will be renegotiated in the summer of 2027.”
That January “something” now looks like “Inter”.
It is impossible that the palace will not allow it
Pierre Sage already has enough on his plate, with Palace juggling the Europa League and Premier League and fresh buzz around Jean-Philippe Mateta’s future. If losing a centre-back makes Inter so highly valued, it would be a blow the club could avoid.
The smart move is simple. Either Palace will sign Richards to a new deal before January, or they will accept that his value is dropping every week and sell him on their own terms. Keeping Inter waiting for free would be the worst of both worlds.