Inter have their work cut out if they are to persuade Atalanta to sell Luis Muriel this summer.
Antonio Conte is reportedly keen to bring in the Colombian forward to freshen up his attacking options behind Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez.
Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini is thought to have vetoed Muriel’s departure though, and now the Bergamaschi’s CEO Luca Percassi has made it clear he is not keen on a sale either.
“The reality is that Muriel is an extraordinary talent and we’re keeping hold of him,” Percassi told Bergamo TV today.
“Our objective for next season is without doubt to strengthen the squad so that we become even more competitive.
“Muriel has matured a lot.”
Muriel has enjoyed another astonishing season under Gasperini at Atalanta, having scored 22 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions.
The 29-year-old has found the net 41 times in total since joining from Fiorentina in the summer of 2019, including four goals in the UEFA Champions League (three of which came during the current campaign).
Inter are widely accepted to need a new fourth-choice striker with Andrea Pinamonti having played just 59 minutes of football under Conte this season.