Inter are working hard on trying to sign Olivier Giroud from Chelsea in the January transfer window but are currently prepared to offer only £3.4m (€4m) for the Frenchman. Chelsea want €10m for the 33-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer.

The Inter manager, Antonio Conte, is desperate to bolster his attacking options this month, having lost Alexis Sánchez, who is on loan from Manchester United, to a long-term injury. The former Chelsea manager has made Giroud his No 1 target and is still hopeful that the two clubs can find a solution.

Giroud is keen to move on and has agreed a deal with Inter for a contract until the end of the 2021-22 season, but the Italian side are only interested in signing him if they can secure his services now. If he does not arrive during this window, they are likely to drop their interest in him.

Inter are joint top of Serie A with Juventus after 18 games and face Atalanta on Saturday night. Conte’s main strikers, Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martínez, are both having successful seasons – with 14 and nine league goals so far this season – but the former Chelsea manager is keen for a back-up to the two.

Inter will consider Fernando Llorente as an option if they are unable to strike a deal with Chelsea for Giroud and would then hope to agree a swap deal with Lazio with Matteo Politano going in the other direction.