Inter offered Atalanta a possible paid loan deal for defender Merih Demiral last month, but La Dea were only interested in selling the 24-year-old former Juventus and Sassuolo player on a permanent basis.

This according to Italian news outlet FCInterNews, who report that the Nerazzurri were ready to offer a loan fee of €3-4 million for the Turkish international for the rest of the season, and also that a deal could still be possible in June.

Inter made Demiral one of their main targets to reinforce the defense last month when it looked as though Milan Skriniar could be sold to Paris Saint-Germain before the closing of the transfer deadline.

The Nerazzurri were in active talks with La Dea about a possible deal for the 24-year-old.

However, Inter were only willing to offer an initial paid loan deal, as they were wary of Demiral’s injury history.

For their part, Atalanta had no interest in agreeing any deal that was not a permanent sale.

Accordingly, FCInterNews reports, the two clubs were unable to agree a deal for Demiral, which would have been a key condition to Inter allowing Skriniar to leave for PSG during the January window.

Meanwhile, the Italian outlet reports, the Nerazzurri would still be potentially ready to move for the 24-year-old again during the summer transfer window as they seek a replacement for Skriniar.