Italian giants Inter are planning for the event they cannot land Mousa Dembele from Tottenham Hotspur by putting out feelers for Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho.
Inter have been trying to reach an agreement with Tottenham for Dembele, but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is demanding €30m for a player who is entering the final year of his contract at the club and is holding off signing an extension.
While Dembele remains Inter's first choice, the Italian giants are making other plans, according to Sky Italia.
They are testing the water with William, who has requested the end of his contract with Sporting Lisbon after disgruntled fans attacked several players; a number of Sporting Lisbon players have cited just cause as the reason to terminate their contracts.
While William could join on a free transfer, if Sporting Lisbon win the case against his contract termination then the club that sign the player could face financial costs.
As such, Inter are making sure they have the full picture and are running the rule over potentially signing William.
The highly rated midfielder has regularly been linked with a switch away from Sporting Lisbon and the current transfer window could see him end his lengthy association with the Portuguese giants.
It is unclear whether Inter having other options will cause Spurs to drop their price for Dembele.
