Inter Milan have not raised the white flag in the race to sign French winger Moussa Diaby, with the Italian club preparing a new offer to convince the Saudi federation to give up their winger during the current summer transfer window.
According to the Italian newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport", Inter's first attempt, worth 20 million euros plus Albanian midfielder Kristjan Asllani, fell flat. The Jeddah club's management rejected the idea of including a player in a swap deal.
Signing a right winger sits at the top of Inter's priorities for the final three weeks of the window, and Diaby, aged 27, remains their number one target after an attempt to land him last January failed.
The Nerazzurri's move coincides with Bayer Leverkusen entering the negotiations, the German club ready to submit a purely financial offer without a swap. So far, though, the French player has shown no enthusiasm for a return to his former team, for whom he played between 2019 and 2023 before moving to Aston Villa.
Diaby's hesitation hands Inter a fresh chance to come back strongly to the table. The Italian club's officials plan to raise the value of their financial offer in a final attempt to convince the federation.
Mid-August could prove decisive. Coach Cristian Chivu wants to settle the right-wing issue he has been waiting to resolve for a long time.
Denzel Dumfries has left a clear void, and Chivu's insistence follows two failed attempts to strengthen the position inside a single month. That makes the signing of a specialist winger a top priority.
Throughout pre-season, Chivu has turned to Luis Henrique and Andy Diouf on the right flank. Diouf has featured most, scoring several goals, the latest against Juventus in the Perth friendly, though he admits it is not his natural position. It is a temporary fix that has not changed Inter's plans to hunt for an out-and-out right winger, with Diaby still their number one target.