Fortress are ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in the battle to invest at Inter, according to an Italian football finance expert.
Il Sole 24 Ore’s Marco Bellinazzo has confirmed in an interview on YouTube that Suning have decided not to sell Inter, with the Nerazzurri’s situation now ‘much calmer’ than in previous weeks.
However, Suning are continuing the search for a new minority shareholder and it now appears to be a two-horse race.
Speaking in the same interview with YouTube channel Il Verbo del Vate, Bellinazzo explained: “Fortress are ahead of everyone else.
“I’m not aware of the Arab fund (PIF) having done any due diligence on Inter’s accounts, so I don’t think talks are as advanced as I’ve read.
“However, several dossiers are open to find the best conditions.
“The deadline of late March or early April is the one that could be respected, but these negotiations must be managed carefully.
“The idea is to find a solution and stop the rumours and turbulence.”
PIF were strongly linked with buying into Inter throughout last week, with reports in Italy and the UK suggesting they were considering buying a 30% stake at the club.
Bellinazzo confirmed the Saudis’ interest in the Nerazzurri but explained why any deal with Suning would be far from simple.
“There is absolutely the will of the Arab sovereign fund to acquire an important team in Europe and Inter are at the top of the list at the moment,” he added.
“There is a very strong interest, but there are also very strong political problems to manage, relating to the western world’s diplomatic relations with Riyadh and Mohammad bin Salman at the moment.
“A direct deal would be very complicated to manage, but there is a much wider interest to keep an eye on.”
Bellinazzo stated during the interview that Suning would only consider selling Inter for an offer worth €1 billion, but no such offers have arrived.
BC Partners appear to be out of the running after the parties could not agree on a valuation for the club.