Nicolò Barella is preparing to cut his summer holidays short and join Inter on their preseason tour of Asia, according to Corriere dello Sport.
The midfielder hopes to fly with the Nerazzurri to Singapore on Tuesday, where Antonio Conte’s side will play Manchester United in the International Champions Cup.
He will have to obtain a visa and complete a medical before any of that can happen, though, meaning it will be a race against time.
Inter and Cagliari are still negotiating the structure of their deal and a complete agreement may not arrive until the weekend.
Talks were on hold for weeks until the clubs met in Milan on Monday and stayed together long into the night.
Steven Zhang eventually gave his green light to the agreement reached by Beppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio, who were relaying updates to Inter’s president until 11.15pm that evening.
Inter want to pay €10 million for Barella’s season-long loan with a subsequent obligation to buy for €30 million, alongside a few performance-related add-ons.
Cagliari owner Tommaso Giulini wants a little more money up front and it is unlikely negotiations will finish today.
Barella’s contract still needs to be formalised and translated into Chinese for Suning’s benefit, but this is considered nothing more than a formality.
He was due to stay on holiday until 22 July but is ready to lose the final six days in a bid to get started with his new club sooner.
