Star player prepares for Inter Milan
Panathinaikos star midfielder Giorgos Karagounis’s imminent transfer to Inter Milan, a move disclosed by the Italian club’s president, Massimo Moratti, last Friday and confirmed by the player Saturday, does not seem to have alarmed team officials here. The Greek league frontrunner’s relaxed response indicates that the player’s transfer, widely rumored in previous months, had been anticipated. Karagounis, who confirmed the news of his planned move to Inter Milan in the Italian sports daily Gazzetta dello Sport, has declined to comment on the details of the transfer deal. But the player was quoted by the Italian publication as saying that he was learning Italian. «It was worth waiting for Inter and I’m proud of the way Mr Moratti spoke about me. I can’t say anything more. I’m a Panathinaikos player and will strive to reach the goals we’ve set.» Panathinaikos leads its second-placed archrival Olympiakos by three points in the national first division with three rounds remaining. The two sides will clash in the second-to-last round of play, in what is shaping up as the title decider. Karagounis and four other club teammates are currently in Slovakia for Greece’s international friendly ahead of its next round of official competition in the Euro 2004 qualifiers. It will play Spain in Zaragoza on June 7.
