Inter Milan are reportedly considering a mid-season move to sign Atalanta captain Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez, who has fallen out-of-favour under manager Gian Piero Gasperini.
The 32-year-old playmaker fell out with the head coach after he was substituted midway through a Champions League clash against Ajax last month and he has since played just 37 minutes of first-team football.
It is quite obvious that the Argentine has no future under Gasperini, but Atalanta are reluctant to sell him for anything less than €10m, given his contract does not expire until June 2022.
Inter are widely known as one of the admirers of Gomez, but Gazzetta dello Sport claims that any move may be dependent on whether they can recoup the transfer funds from the sale of Christian Eriksen.
The Dane has proved a disappointment since joining the club from Tottenham Hotspur 12 months ago and he has registered only four goals and three assists from 40 appearances.
He has been linked with a possible return to the Premier League with Spurs and Arsenal interested, but so far, neither of those clubs have made contact regarding a transfer.
Meanwhile, Conte is understood to be an admirer of Gomez and the player himself is open to working under the Italian, who is aiming to guide the Nerazzurri to their first league title since the 2009/10 season.
Gomez can play anywhere in the midfield, but he could be most effective in the number 10 position, where he can deliver key passes for the front duo of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez.
The midfielder has been a terrific servant for Atalanta and he has managed a minimum tally of 18 goals and assists in each of the previous four seasons with the Bergamo outfit.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com