Inter coach Roberto Mancini has provided updates in regards to his club’s transfer strategy ahead of this weekend’s match away to Atalanta.
The Nerazzurri boss was questioned today about the statuses of current players Fredy Guarin and Andrea Ranocchia as well as Sampdoria midfielder Roberto Soriano and the often-linked Ezequiel Lavezzi of Paris Saint-Germain.
Guarin is reportedly drawing interest from Zenit Saint Petersburg and Chinese club Jiangsu Suning but Mancini is eager for the Colombian international to stay where he is.
“We hope to keep Guarin, he is an important player when fully fit,” the 51-year-old said.
Should the former Porto man opt to leave then Inter may direct their gaze at Sampdoria’s Soriano as a replacement.
“Soriano is a good player who has improved a great deal but he is a different sort of midfielder from Guarin.”
A potential deal for Soriano could be made easier by the fact that his current club are reportedly close to a deal for Nerazzurri ex-captain Ranocchia.
The two players could possibly be used in a swap deal or Inter may just look to take advantage of a solid relationship between the two clubs but Mancini recognizes the need for defensive depth.
“If we are to consider offers for Ranocchia than we must sign another defender with similar characteristics,” he noted.
Inter have been heavily linked with a potential move for Argentina international Lavezzi but Mancini believes it may be too difficult to pry him away from PSG for the time being.
“I do not think Lavezzi wishes to leave PSG while in the midst of another title run,” Mancini said.
“He is a player that we could possibly sign in June [when the player is out of contract] but I think that a move now would be too difficult to negotiate.”
