Suning Holdings Group could soon take full control of Inter after entering into talks with president Erick Thohir to buy out his minority stake in the club, according to business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore.

Thohir currently holds a 30% stake in Inter after selling a 68.55% majority to Zhang Jindong’s company in 2016 and is known to have been looking to disinvest for over a year, with Suning now having taken complete control as far as the day-to-day running of the club is concerned.

Having rejected an offer from a third party for his minority stake, which he values at around €150-200 million, approximately six weeks ago, Il Sole 24 Ore believe Thohir is now in talks with Suning themselves, who would be willing to buy him out for a higher price and offer him a small stake in their own company in return.

The operation would therefore resemble a stock-for-stock merger and would see Thohir effectively become one of Suning’s minority shareholders, while also freeing up Inter’s owners to invest more money into the club without having to resort to loans.

The paper also reiterates that Zhang Jindong currently does not have any plans to sell Inter, despite recent reports to the contrary in the Italian media, adding that he has recently rejected an offer from an unidentified investment fund to purchase 100% control of the club.