Antonio Conte would prefer Inter to sign Duvan Zapata and not Rafael Leao if they cannot secure Romelu Lukaku, according to FcInterNews.it.

The Nerazzurri’s head coach has been adamant he wants Lukaku since talks began to bring him to the club back in March.

Conte and Lukaku are on excellent terms and both would be super motivated to achieve great things in Milan together.

United still want €83 million for the Belgian, though, which appears to be a price Inter cannot currently afford.

Inter appreciate the fact that Conte considers Lukaku to be an essential part of his new-look side, perhaps the only player he cannot do without if he wants to win trophies in Milan.

The club will therefore make a new €78 million offer to United soon, albeit they remain pessimistic about agreeing a deal.

Zapata enjoyed a fantastic season for Atalanta under Gian Piero Gasperini last year and is similar to Lukaku than Leao in terms of physical strength.

Leao is receiving more attention from the Italian media due to the excellent work of his agent Jorge Mendes, but the 20-year-old remains a future prospect who would not currently be able to make a huge difference alone.

Conte is desperate to secure Lukaku for the 2019-20 season but he has made it clear who his preference would go to, should this prove impossible.

The former Juventus and Chelsea boss made telling comments in last week’s press conference before the defeat to United in a friendly, reminding Suning how the expectations upon Inter would depend on who the club signed.

Conte is highly ambitious to win trophies for Inter but he does not want supporters to expect miracles if his transfer targets do not arrive.