According to the Daily Mail, Inter Milan are expected to make a new £10million bid for Frank Lampard and test Chelsea's resolve to force the midfielder to see out his contract.
They had a second bid of £7.95m turned down on Tuesday and president Massimo Moratti is ready to negotiate directly with owner Roman Abramovich to try and bring an end to the saga.
Their manager, Jose Mourinho, is determined to be reunited with Lampard and hopes his old bosses at Chelsea can be convinced to let him go.
Lampard has become increasingly desperate to leave the Bridge after his demands for a five-year contract worth £150,000-a-week were ignored and could consider buying out the last 12 months of his current deal.
Article 17 of FIFA regulations for the status and transfer of players states that a player can do this if the contract was signed before he turned 28 years old and at least three years have elapsed since making the agreement.
The England international would risk upsetting FIFA, however, as the rule also says that a player has to inform the club that he wants to leave within 15 days of the final league game of the season.
They had a second bid of £7.95m turned down on Tuesday and president Massimo Moratti is ready to negotiate directly with owner Roman Abramovich to try and bring an end to the saga.
Their manager, Jose Mourinho, is determined to be reunited with Lampard and hopes his old bosses at Chelsea can be convinced to let him go.
Lampard has become increasingly desperate to leave the Bridge after his demands for a five-year contract worth £150,000-a-week were ignored and could consider buying out the last 12 months of his current deal.
Article 17 of FIFA regulations for the status and transfer of players states that a player can do this if the contract was signed before he turned 28 years old and at least three years have elapsed since making the agreement.
The England international would risk upsetting FIFA, however, as the rule also says that a player has to inform the club that he wants to leave within 15 days of the final league game of the season.
But Andy Webster escaped serious punishment when he left Hearts for Wigan after the deadline two years ago and was only banned for the first two games of the last campaign, while the Scottish club received just £150,000 compensation.
Sepp Blatter believes no club should keep a player if he wants to leave.
Sepp Blatter believes no club should keep a player if he wants to leave.
But Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck insists the club won't change their position and the contract offer to Lampard will remain in place.
He said: 'As is his right, he has decided at the moment not to accept that contract - but there is one year remaining on his current contract and we expect and hope he will honour that contract.
'Even for the course of that year there is still the opportunity for him to stay because the offer we have made him remains on the table.'
He said: 'As is his right, he has decided at the moment not to accept that contract - but there is one year remaining on his current contract and we expect and hope he will honour that contract.
'Even for the course of that year there is still the opportunity for him to stay because the offer we have made him remains on the table.'
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