Inter’s hopes of signing Romelu Lukaku are being kept alive by Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, according to Corriere dello Sport.
Solskjaer has told his employers he is happy to sell the Belgian striker without bringing in a replacement before Thursday’s deadline.
United have Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood, Alexis Sanchez and Anthony Martial on their books and the Norwegian believes they are sufficient up front.
This means Inter have more time to secure a deal with United, but also more time to raise funds by selling some of their own players.
Beppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio are preparing a new offer for Lukaku but they will not submit it until they are certain Juventus have withdrawn their interest.
The Nerazzurri’s management do not intend to get involved in bidding wars with their Serie A rivals, not least because they do not have the same resources as Juve.
Reports from Turin and Manchester have suggested the new bid for Lukaku could reach €80 million, but this does not seem to be accurate.
Inter’s current offer worth €60+5 million will only be increased by a further €3-4 million, taking the overall fee towards €70 million.
Lukaku’s future is expected to become much clearer by Thursday evening, once the Premier League’s transfer window for incoming deals has closed.
Inter are in constant contact with the striker’s agent Federico Pastorello and remain confident they can sign Lukaku, whom they believe would prefer them to Juventus.
Flamengo could give them a hand financially by offering €15-16 million for Gabriel Barbosa, although Palmeiras are also interested in the 22-year-old.