Inter face an uphill battle convincing Atalanta to sell their star striker Duvan Zapata this summer, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
Romelu Lukaku remains Antonio Conte’s first choice in attack but it seems increasingly unlikely Inter will agree a deal with Manchester United.
Reports elsewhere yesterday suggested Conte had identified the Colombian as the closest striker on the market to Lukaku, mostly because of his physical qualities.
Atalanta want €55 million to consider a sale, though, and Gazzetta suggested even that may not be enough to sway them.
Zapata enjoyed the best season of his career last year as Gian Piero Gasperini’s side secured qualification for the Champions League.
West Ham, Napoli and Atletico Madrid are also keen to sign the 27-year-old, who previously played for Napoli, Udinese and Sampdoria as well.
Conte was forced to pick Ivan Perisic and Sebastiano Esposito against Juventus yesterday because he has no first-choice forwards available.
The Nerazzurri will again be down to the bare bones up front when they conclude their Asian tour against Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday.