Inter could appoint Gianluca Petrachi as their sporting director if current sporting director Piero Ausilio leaves according to a report in today’s print edition of Italian daily newspaper Tuttosport.

Ausilio has receieved a rich offer from fellow Serie A club Roma to become their sporting director as they look to find a replacement after recently parting ways with Petrachi.

The report goes on to explain that Inter could in fact appoint Petrachi, who has a very solid friendship with Inter manager Antonio Conte, as his replacement and Petrachi’s arrival could be the ‘lightning rod’ that Conte has asked for due to feeling unprotected all too often in his first season.

Tuttosport also explain that relations between Conte and Inter chief executive Giuseppe ‘Beppe’ Marotta have become strained, despite the fact Marotta was one of the main people pushing for Conte to come to Inter in the first place.

Inter president Steven Zhang will need to mend the relations in order for Conte to remain as Inter manager.