Christian Eriksen will become an Inter player imminently, according to Giuseppe Marotta, who has said that a deal for the Tottenham midfielder should be wrapped up within a few days.
The Denmark international has been earmarked for departure from the Champions League runners-up for several months now, with his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ending at the conclusion of the season.
While Manchester United were linked with the former Ajax man last summer, Inter have since emerged as front runners for his signature, with the Nerazzurri expecting to complete their second Premier League capture of the transfer window following their swoop for Manchester United’s Ashley Young.
And after months of speculation, the long-awaited deal seems to be nearing its conclusion.
"Eriksen? We are not hiding, we have been negotiating with Tottenham for some time,” Marotta told DAZN.
“I am optimistic, I hope to conclude as quickly as possible. I am confident that it can be resolved in the next few days."
Reports suggest the reason for the delay in the deal is that Spurs are looking to secure a replacement.
The 27-year-old has been a fixture with Jose Mourinho’s side since he arrived from Ajax in 2013, having moved to the Amsterdam club as a youth.
GettyWith Spurs, the No.10 has gone on to make over 300 first-team appearances, scoring 69 goals and laying on a further 89.
His statistics this season, however, have shown a depreciation, with 20 Premier League appearances yielding only two goals and two assists, though he has often been forced to play a substitute role.
He did, however, start three games over the course of the festive period, netting against Norwich before turning out in 1-0 defeats to Southampton and runaway league leaders Liverpool.
His highlight while in England was Spurs’ unlikely push to the Champions League final last season, though he has otherwise missed out on silverware since leaving the Netherlands, where he was a three-time Eredivisie champion.
Meanwhile, Marotta refused to be drawn on the possibility that Eriksen's imminent arrival could pave the way for Matias Vecino to join Everton.
“A good player is arriving, then the dynamics of the transfer window are still being evaluated in-house," said the Inter chief.
"We’ll always come to the conclusion made by the whole team and every element of the club."
Inter are in the running for the Serie A title this season but trail Juventus by four points ahead of the weekend’s action.