Inter Milan have reportedly been frustrated in their attempts to land Manchester City striker Stevan Jovetic.
Italian source Leggo claims the San Siro giants met last month to plot their strategy for the summer transfer window and made the Montenegro international one of their top targets.
They are attracted by the fact that Jovetic has experience of playing in Serie A, having been a key man at Fiorentina prior to last year’s £22million switch to the Etihad Stadium.
His first season in England was blighted by injuries and Inter want to capitalise on his dubious fitness record by trying to secure his services on loan.
However, according to the report, Premier League champions City are standing their ground and have told their counterparts in Italy in no uncertain terms that they will only consider an outright sale.
The Blues have little interest in farming him out on loan, not least because he has reported back for pre-season training without any sign of injury.
They remain confident that he will produce his best football in a City shirt and time is not a factor, as he still has four years remaining on his contract in Manchester.
Ambitious Inter owner Erick Thohir is anxious to bolster the squad before the 2014-15 campaign gets under way, and is demanding an improvement after seeing the side miss out on Champions League qualification last term.