According to Corriere della Sera, Paolo Condo recounted Internazionale's pursuit of Fàbregas after Simone Inzaghi's departure: Cristian Chivu was already the top choice, but Oaktree Capital still wanted to test the Como coach.
A chase that never truly heated up, a decision that had already taken shape before a meeting, and a bond that has lasted for over twenty years. On the eve of Internazionale's match against Como, Paolo Condo, in his Corriere della Sera column, once again discussed Fàbregas's rejection of Internazionale's coaching offer after Simone Inzaghi's departure in the summer of 2025.
According to the journalist, Internazionale's management initially viewed Cristian Chivu as the ideal successor. Giuseppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio knew the Romanian coach well and appreciated his work in the youth sector. Therefore, the club had essentially settled on a candidate. What briefly changed the situation was Oaktree Capital, who requested an evaluation of other candidates and proposed contacting Fàbregas.
"If management comes from a single owner, they can directly approve a name; but if it comes from a fund, they usually request a list of candidates, and sometimes even nominate one themselves. Oaktree Capital proposed talking to Fàbregas first, so Ausilio went to London," Condo wrote.
However, the Internazionale executive's trip to England did not yield the expected results. Ausilio had known Fàbregas for many years and was aware of how difficult it would be to persuade him to leave Como. "His knowledge of Fàbregas goes back a long way, and precisely for this reason, he knew the chances of convincing him were slim: in fact, their conversation, though very friendly, quickly turned negative." The rejection was not only due to his ties with Como but also a clear career plan.
Fàbregas has a clear plan for his career, and at this stage, there is no more suitable environment than Como to advance this plan. There, he has the conditions to select the best players and the time to mold them according to his ideas," Condo emphasized.
The connection between Fàbregas and Internazionale actually existed when he was still a player. Condo recalled that Internazionale scout Pierluigi Casiraghi was deeply impressed by the talent of a young Fàbregas at the U17 World Cup in Finland.
Based on his advice, Ausilio, who was then responsible for the youth team alongside Beppe Baresi, tried to establish contact with the player's agent, Darren Dein. The move ultimately fell through, partly because Dein was the son of David Dein, a key figure at Arsenal, which ultimately succeeded in signing the Spanish prodigy. Fàbregas's early career in London thus had a curious intersection with the story of Internazionale.