Joao Mario wants to stay at Sporting CP and Inter are prepared to grant the midfielder his wish, according to an Italian media report today.
As per FCInterNews.it, everything suggests that Joao Mario’s future will be with the Liga NOS side, although at the moment there has been no formal contact between the two clubs.
Both clubs are focused on securing their respective league titles but Joao Mario discussed his future with his entourage a few days ago, making it clear he wanted to re-join Sporting CP permanently.
Inter would want around €6-7 million for the 28-year-old but the report warned there were economic obstacles to overcome before a deal could be agreed.
Sporting CP do not wish to spend excessively on Joao Mario and could even ask Inter to release the midfielder, taking care of the final year of his salary in return.
This is however not feasible for Inter, who are currently not prepared to consider the idea of making a loss on him.
An agreement could be found on the basis of a part-exchange deal, which would see one or two players from Sporting CP’s academy included in the deal to lower Inter’s asking price.
Joao Mario’s contract is currently well above the parameters of Sporting CP, but the report said this would not be problem because his current salary could simply be spread across a longer deal.
Elsewhere today, a report in Portugal said Inter had rejected a first offer from Sporting CP worth €7 million plus add-ons.
This story was swiftly contradicted by a report from Italy, however, which said the Nerazzurri had not received any official proposal yet.