Inter’s reluctance to offer more than a loan deal and the fact that Atalanta do not want to deprive themselves of players before the end of the transfer window could mean that the Nerazzurri fail in their pursuit of defender Merih Demiral this month.
This according to Italian news outlet FCInterNews, who report that the 24-year-old is unlikely to arrive before the transfer deadline despite Inter having made him the first-choice replacement for Milan Skriniar.
Demiral’s name has emerged as Inter’s top target for the possible event that Paris Saint-Germain complete a deal to sign Skriniar this month.
However, the Nerazzurri have only offered Atalanta a loan deal containing a purchase option, whilst the Lombard club would only want to let the former Juventus and Sassuolo defender leave on a permanent deal or at least a loan containing an obligation.
Meanwhile, La Dea simply do not look inclined to let players leave this month.
Roma had been interested in signing striker Luis Muriel whilst AC Milan had chased goalkeeper Marco Sportiello.
In both cases, however, these pursuits failed because La Dea did not want to lose their players in the January window.
According to FCInterNews, this stance is unlikely to change with Demiral, not least because an injury to Jose Luis Palomino means that Atalanta are keen to make sure they have adequate defensive depth for the rest of the season.