Inter might not have to secure a deal for Romelu Lukaku before the Premier League’s transfer window closes on 8 August, according to Corriere dello Sport.
Negotiations for the Manchester United forward’s move to the Nerazzurri are on hold at the moment, with Inter beginning to weigh up alternative options.
Antonio Conte has not lost hope of bringing Lukaku in but Inter will have to sell players before they can afford United’s €88 million asking price.
United are open to the idea of waiting until the end of the summer, at which point Inter could have offloaded enough reserves to improve on their latest offer worth €60 million.
The Red Devils would prefer to sell Lukaku quickly, so the profit they earn from his departure can be used to finance a move for another top centre-forward.
Inter cannot offer a higher fee until they have secured at least one high-profile sale, though, even if Conte will attempt to talk Zhang Jindong round in today’s transfer summit.
Lukaku is also keen to complete a deal in short order, having sat out United’s 1-0 win over Inter in Singapore on Saturday.
The Belgian is being forced to wait, however, after swapping shirts with Perisic and exchanging pleasantries with Conte himself on the touchline.
Conte has had to work without first-team centre-forwards in preseason so far, leading him to criticise the club’s transfer activity in a press conference last week.
He will explain the difficulties he has faced when he meets Zhang and the rest of Inter’s management in Nanjing.