Inter are in danger of being priced out of a deal to sign Rodrigo de Paul, according to a report in the Italian media today.

Il Giorno’s print edition said the Nerazzurri were big fans of the midfielder but that they would struggle to meet Udinese’s €40 million asking price.

Inter’s well-documented financial problems means they are obliged to seek low-cost options in the summer transfer window.

The only way they could afford to spend €40 million on De Paul, the report warned, is if Suning opened their chequebook (which is unlikely) or if Inter sacrificed one of their key players first.

De Paul is therefore only considered an alternative to Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum, who is out of contract with the Premier League champions this summer.

Wijnaldum is not an easy target for Inter either though, with the midfielder currently earning an annual salary worth €4 million.

Inter are likely to pursue free agents in the summer but the flip side is that players will request big wage packages, while their agents demand high commission payments.

Wijnaldum also has interest from Barcelona, where his former Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman is keen on a reunion.