Inter remain confident of sending Joao Mario out on loan before the transfer window shuts, according to Corriere dello Sport.

Beppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio have all but lost hope of securing a permanent deal for the midfielder, but they want to offload the player to make room for another signing.

Sporting Lisbon, Sevilla and Monaco and Galatasaray all remain interested in taking Mario on loan, with no one thought to be favourites at the moment.

Inter want to reinvest the money they would save on Mario this season into another midfielder for Antonio Conte, who is looking for someone with stamina and a knack of scoring goals.

Conte also wants to sign an understudy to Romelu Lukaku up front before the market closes next Monday.

Inter will wait until the final couple of days to survey the opportunities which arise, in the hope they can satisfy their head coach’s final requests.