Inter Milan will reportedly offer midfielder Fredy Guarin to Manchester United in an attempt to land Red Devils striker Javier Hernandez.
Italian source TuttoSport claims the San Siro giants are willing to part with the Colombia international in order to bring down the cost of signing Hernandez, with Inter operating on a limited budget this summer.
Their failure to qualify for the Champions League means they need to shift some of their highest earners off the wage bill so they can fund incoming transfers, and a top-class striker is head coach Walter Mazzarri’s priority.
Last month they offered Guarin to La Liga heavyweights Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid without success, but they feel more confident that United will take him off their hands.
Talks between the Serie A club and Hernandez’s representatives have already begun and are likely to reach an advanced stage this weekend.
The pint-sized Mexico attacker has become Inter’s main summer transfer target after several failed attempts to snap up Manchester City hitman Stevan Jovetic on loan.
A deal for Hernandez could even be completed before Tuesday, when the two teams face each other in a friendly in Washington as part of their respective tours of the USA.
If negotiations are still ongoing at that stage, ambitious Inter owner Erick Thohir will tell officials to use the match as an opportunity to sit down and thrash out a deal to secure the attacker’s services.