Inter’s owners Suning have a plan to keep Antonio Conte at the club, according to a report from a leading Italian broadcaster tonight.
Sky Sport Italia said Suning were close to securing the €250-270 million ‘bridge loan’ they need in order to ease the club’s short-term financial concerns.
Inter’s loan will help them pay their outstanding player salaries and respect other payment deadlines, but it could also boost their prospects in the transfer market.
For this reason, Suning want the deal agreed before they hold talks with Conte about his future and next season, as it could be an extra argument to persuade Conte to stay.
Conte will make a decision on his future when he has a better grasp of how competitive and ambitious Inter will be going forward, the report added.
Sky warned it was difficult to make predictions at the moment, but Suning will have a better chance of keeping Conte on board if the loan is secured before that meeting.
The loan deal – widely reported to be either with Bain Capital or Oaktree – should be secured by the end of this week, before Inter’s final game of the season against Udinese.