Geoffrey Kondogbia has the potential to be as good as Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta and Manchester City star Yaya Toure, according to his Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini.
The Serie A giants are believed to have shelled out around €40m (£28.49m) for the 22-year-old’s services, fending off competition from city rivals AC Milan, as well as a number of top Premier League clubs.
With other clubs better positioned, Kondogbia’s decision to join Inter came as a slight surprise and Mancini is certainly not underestimating the extent of their capture, suggesting the France international could one day become one of the best players in the world.
"Kondogbia can become one of the best in the world," said the former Manchester City manager at a press conference after the first day of pre-season.
"He’s young, he has room for improvement, and after the two or three unattainable players I think there is him. He can be like [Andres] Iniesta and [Yaya] Toure.
"The club has made a big investment, but he can be important."
Kondogbia averaged 3.1 tackles and 2.5 interceptions per game in Ligue 1 last season, while a dribble success rate of 83.3% was the best in France’s top-flight, helping contribute to a WhoScored.com rating of 7.26.
