To buy or not to buy, that is the question. According to TuttoMercato, Inter has revealed they will not activate the buyout clause of Portuguese fullback Cedric Soares, who was brought on loan from Southampton in the winter transfer window. Cedric arrived for €500 000 and to make it a definitive deal Inter would have to pay €11 million for the player.

The same source claims that Inter wants to use this money to sign Matteo Darmian, the fullback from Manchester United, who has lost his space under Solskjaer. However, the Reds are asking for a higher price than Southampton, establishing €20 million as a minimum price to negotiate the player.

Nevertheless, Cedric was called to play this Thursday in Frankfurt and he talked about his future, answering about the possibility of not continuing playing at the Giuseppe Meazza next season. “Inter has trust in me and I have trust in them. I will always give my maximum and after, in the end of the season, we will see.”

Asked about how were his two months in Milan, he showed surprise and admitted that time flies, but he is having fun playing for Inter. Cedric hasn’t been a starter for the team in the last four matches of Serie A, but has been part of the starting eleven for the Europa League matches, something he should repeat against Eintracht Frankfurt.

Cedric arrived in Milan to replace the injured Croatian fullback Vrsaljko, mas until the moment he only played five times, two times in the league, two in the cup and one in the Europa League. D’Ambrosio is probably the one to blame for the lack of opportunities for Cedric, since he has been delivering consistent defensive performances, but the question is: have we seen enough of the Portuguese in action to decide whether he is not worth it of the 11 million buyout clause? Should Spaletti concede him more game time before Inter decides on his future?

Cedric or Darmian: who would be a better fit for Inter next season?

We know football is much more than stats and it is quite unfair to compare players who compete in different teams, based on numbers. Also, bear in mind Darmian has only played 7 times this season, which makes it even more difficult to evaluate his current form. Nevertheless, according to whoscored, Darmian averages 2.6 tackles per game, compared to Cedric’s 1.4 and has a higher passing accuracy (81.9%, against 73.7%).

In his defense, Cedric might be penalized for having played half season in Southampton, a team who is near relegation places in Premier League, while Darmian has undoubtedly better teammates to support his skills. Also, we can’t forget how rock-solid Cedric has been for his national team, including his stellar performance during the Euro 2016.

Despite all this, Darmian already had the bonus of having played in Serie A several seasons, besides being Italian himself, which might make it easier to adapt to Inter’s system. Offensively, though, neither of them seems to be an update for Spaletti’s team, averaging less than one key pass per game.

We know it wouldn’t be easy to step into Cancelo’s shoes, specially because Inter hasn’t found a rightback replacement who was so prolific going forward as him. Joao had better drible stats and averaged more key passes than all the players mentioned. Plus, he was not bad either when he tried to have a shot on target himself and that eagerness to take a risk, without losing position defensively, is something neither of current Inter’s rightbacks have achieved yet.

We can’t finish this analysis with talking about current number one for that place: D’Ambrosio. Chosen to replace his Croatian teammate, Danilo has had some impressive exhibitions, with a pass accuracy of 81.5%, equal to the one Sime Vrsaljko reached before his injury. He also makes 2.2 tackles per game, superior to his counterpart, even though Sime registered more clearances.

Anyway, he has also scored twice and made 3 assists, which makes you wonder if the substitute for Vrsaljko isn’t already under Spaletti’s orders. Though, Danilo is 30 years old and it won’t hurt to take a gamble on a younger and more resilient option for the future seasons. On that chapter, Darmian, who is 29 years old, wouldn’t be properly a signing worth €20million, especially if Inter wants a possible return in their investment. Signing someone like 21-year-old Aaron Wan-Bissaka, from Crystal Palace, or 23-year-old Timothy Castagne from Atalanta, could be more interesting and profitable than all the ones mentioned.