Inter will only move to sign Lille forward Rafael Leao if they cannot secure a deal for Romelu Lukaku, Gazzetta dello Sport reiterated this morning.
Leao scored eight goals for the French outfit last season and can play in any position across the attacking line, drawing comparisons with Kylian Mbappe.
Everton have already made an offer worth €37.5 million, not far from Lille’s purported €40 million asking price.
Lille have made little secret of the fact Leao is up for sale and already have Charleroi forward Victor Osimhen lined up as a replacement.
Director general Marc Ingla yesterday confirmed ‘lots of clubs’ were interested in the Portugal under-21 international, who also has Angolan heritage.
Piero Ausilio first laid eyes on Leao last summer when fan violence forced him to leave Sporting Lisbon, but Inter did not make a move for him in the end.
The Nerazzurri first caught a glimpse of the forward’s talent in October 2017, when he starred in a 4-1 win for Sporting against Juventus in the UEFA Youth League.
“Rafael scored Sporting’s first two goals, earned the penalty which led to their third with some great skill in the area and provided the assist for the fourth,” Gazzetta recalled.