Inter Milan have held discussions about signing Manchester City fullback Joao Cancelo on loan, according to Sportmediaset (via Sport).

The Italian TV station claim that initial contact between the two teams has been made but there are believed to be significant differences about the details of the deal.

No other information is provided but it’s likely that the treble winners would want an obligation to buy in any future loan agreement, considering what happened with Bayern Munich.

The Bundesliga champions opted against triggering a purchase option to sign Cancelo for €70m (£60m) earlier this summer and City will not want a repeat of that in the future.

Considering Inter are not exactly a club brimming with cash, it’s difficult to see them matching the Premier League champions’ demands.

Cancelo has played for Inter before

The Portuguese international actually spent the 2017/18 season on loan at the Nerazzurri. The Serie A side agreed a deal with his parent club Valencia that included an option to buy but they opted against keeping him.

Instead, Cancelo joined fierce rivals Juventus, with the Bianconeri paying around €40m for the defender in the summer of 2018.

The City star does have other suitors

Barcelona are known to be interested in Cancelo but their financial situation means it is incredibly unlikely that they would propose an offer that City would find acceptable.

Arsenal are, however, another option. At the start of the week, German magazine Kicker reported that the 29-year-old remains “top of the list” of targets for the Gunners. Whether that is still the case now they have agreed a deal to sign Jurrien Timber from Ajax, it is doubtful.

Cancelo’s options are not exactly plentiful, and it does put City in a difficult position. They would have liked to have sold the right-back as early as possible this summer to free up funds for potential signings but it’s clear that his future may not be decided until later in the transfer window.