Inter have not given up on signing France's Moussa Diaby. The Italian club are preparing a fresh offer to prise their winger away from the Saudi Federation before the summer window shuts.
According to Italian newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport", Inter's first attempt reached 20 million euros plus Albanian midfielder Kristjan Asllani. The Jeddah club's management turned it down, rejecting the idea of adding a player to the swap deal.
Landing a right winger sits at the top of Inter's priorities for the final three weeks of the window, and Diaby, 27, remains their number one target after a failed attempt to sign him last January.
The Nerazzurri's move comes as Bayer Leverkusen enter the negotiations, with the German club willing to make a purely financial offer and no swap. So far, though, the Frenchman has shown no enthusiasm for a return to his former club, where he played between 2019 and 2023 before his switch to Aston Villa.
That hesitancy hands Inter a fresh chance to come back strongly to the table. The Italian club's officials plan to raise their financial offer in a final push to convince the Federation.
The coming days, up to the middle of August, could decide the deal. Coach Cristian Chivu wants to settle the matter of the right winger he has long been waiting for.
His insistence stems from the clear void left by Denzel Dumfries' departure. After two attempts to strengthen the position stalled inside a single month, signing a specialist winger has become a top priority.
Through pre-season, Chivu turned to Luis Henrique and Andy Diouf on the right flank. Diouf featured the most and chipped in with several goals, the last against Juventus in the Perth friendly, though he insists it is not his natural position. That temporary fix has not changed Inter's plans to hunt for an out-and-out right winger, with Diaby still their first target.