Three years after promising Argentine attacking-midfielder Ricky Alvarez joined Sunderland on loan, the club are set to be forced to pay Inter Milan €10.5m after a long and drawn out legal battle.
The situation is confusing, and there seems to be bad blood between both sides as Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) heard allegations and accusations from both sides regarding the conduct of the other club. An official decision is yet to be announced, but reports in Italy are claiming that the £9m fee must be paid in full
So how did the Black Cats get into this mess? Let's go back to the start.
Sunderland sign Ricky Alvarez.
In 2014, a number of clubs from around Europe were interested in the prospect of taking Alvarez, who was tipped for big things at Inter, on loan after it became clear that he was far down the pecking order at the San Siro.
Rather than just take him in for a season, Sunderland inserted a clause in the loan contract that if they managed to avoid relegation, they would automatically trigger a £9m release clause and make Alvarez's deal permanent.
This backfired spectacularly, as the player contributed next-to-nothing due to injuries and failing to settle in.
Inter wash their hands.
During his time on Wearside, Alvarez missed the majority of the season with a knee injury. Seemingly Sunderland's medical team advised surgery for the best chances of a full recovery, but as he was still officially an Inter Milan player, they would need the permission of the parent club to proceed.
They didn't get it. Reports from Sunderland claim that Inter refused to allow Alvarez to undergo surgery, and also refused to recall him from his loan. These reports are as yet unconfirmed by are part of the reason why Sunderland fans are so angry with Inter Milan.
Sunderland avoid the drop, and things get petty.
The Mackems finished in 17th, three points below the drop-zone, but as they had done so with absolutely no thanks to Ricky Alvarez, and feeling as though Inter had breached the contract by not allowing Alvarez to get surgery, they refused to pay. In the end he made just five Premier League starts, and scored one goal in an FA Cup replay.
This obviously did not go down well in Milan, as Inter had sent off a healthy player who became injured and did not feature in their plans, and as the contract stated, if the club stayed up they were due £9m for his services, as non-existent as they were.
Ricky left out in the cold.
Poor Ricky Alvarez was the real victim here, as neither club registered Ricky Alvarez in their squad for the following season. Sunderland expected Inter to take him back, but as far as they were concerned he was a Sunderland player.
Technically a free agent, he had to wait until January of 2016 before a club would take him on, and he returned to Serie A with Sampdoria.
So what's all the fuss about?
Sunderland agreed a contract with Inter that stated if they stayed up, they were obligated to buy Ricky Alvarez for £9m. They stayed up, so they should have paid the fee.
However, they are claiming that Inter Milan breached the deal, thus effectively terminating the loan. The Court of Arbitration for Sport were needed to determine who was in the wrong, and now it seems that just as Sunderland are trying to get their shit together after a calamitous few years, they have to deal with this as well.
