Inter Milan have stepped up their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen as CEO Giuseppe Marotta confirmed that his representatives have met with the Dane's agents.
Inter have been heavily linked with the wantaway 27-year-old throughout the January transfer window after he admitted he was ready for a fresh challenge last summer.
Eriksen has made 304 Spurs appearances since joining from Ajax in 2013, scoring 69 goals and providing 89 assists, but he is out of contract in the summer.
And Inter have made him a priority target as they look to break Juventus ' eight-year stranglehold on the Serie A title, with Inter boss Antonio Conte revealing that his side are aiming to recruit players "who are at the end of their contracts".
Speaking after Spurs' FA Cup replay victory over Middlesbrough in the week, Jose Mourinho said that Eriksen could "leave the club with his head held high", but engaged in a war of words with old enemy Conte for speaking to reporters about his player.
This will not fend off Inter in their pursuit, though, and Marotta confirmed that talks are progressing.
“Eriksen is a Tottenham player, but his contract expires in June, so it’s entirely legitimate and authorised to see his agent in this period," Marotta told Sky Sports Italia .
“That’s a long way off saying he’ll come here in January or June, because there is a great deal of competition and we don’t know what will happen yet.”
Inter are also close to signing Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud after the 33-year-old agreed to a two-year contract at San Siro, but the deal is thought to hang on whether they can offload Matteo Politano after a deal to sell the Italian forward to Roma fell through on Friday.
“It’s normal that management works to prepare various negotiations so there are alternatives if it doesn’t go through," said Marotta. "I won’t deny we spoke to Giroud’s entourage, we will evaluate the situation.
“The two moves could be linked, but what doesn’t happen on the transfer market today could happen tomorrow.”
