Inter President Steven Zhang is determined to sell his controlling stake in the club and is hopeful of reaching an agreement with London-based BC Partners.

Zhang and Suning are currently in negotiations to offload Inter to equity fund BC Partners and remains confident that a deal will be struck to allow him to sell all or the majority of his shares, as reported in today’s print edition of daily newspaper La Repubblica.

Despite other interest, BC Partners are the clear front runners and have entered a period of exclusivity, whilst their financial muscle as an equity fund is believed to be a factor in the advanced talks.

With Zhang keen to step back, a deal at the end of the period of due diligence could see Suning sell a majority stake in Inter or push to completely sell the club.

Suning have been majority owners of Inter since completing a purchase in 2016, alongside the ownership of Chinese Premier League side Jiangsu Suning.