Inter Milan revealed they have the option of first refusal for Manchester City forward Mario Balotelli, while Tottenham manager Andre villas-Boas said the chances of Leandro Damiao joining Spurs were pretty low.
Balotelli has been tipped with a move away from the Etihad in the January transfer window, after another public bust-up with manager Roberto Mancini, his biggest supporter at the club.
While Mancini played down the argument, it is understood City are looking to ship the forward out, preferably on a permanent basis, with the two Milan clubs the most likely destinations.
While AC Milan supremo Silvio Berlusconi ruled out buying Balotelli, calling him a "rotten apple", Inter sporting director Pier Ausilio admitted Inter have the first option of buying the Italian international.
"It's true, Inter have first refusal right for Mario Balotelli," Ausilio told Panorama. "We will decide to exercise it just whether City will choose to selling him. Mario can play alongside any attacker."
Following the Berlusconi comments, Balotelli's agent Mino Raiola hit back at the statement, while insisting Balotelli would stay with the English Premier League champions until the end of the season at least.
"Balotelli is not a rotten apple. He's a cherry," Raiola told Sky Sport 24. "There's a 0.0001 percent possibility of Balotelli returning to Italy."
Meanwhile, Villas-Boas has ruled out the chances of Damiao coming to White Hart Lane. Spurs were heavily linked with a move for the Brazilian international, with reports suggesting they were ready to make an official £15 million ($24 million) bid.
"Leandro is a player we've always appreciated, that this club appreciated before I arrived, but it's extremely difficult that he's going to join Tottenham," Villas-Boas said.
"He's a player that is highly rated in the market, and it's unlikely that he will play for Tottenham."
Damiao himself said he would be staying with Internacional in the near future.
"My agent told me that there is no offer, everyone around me knows that I want to stay," he told Zero Hora.
"But I can't say that I'll stay forever, maybe there will be an offer in the long term and (my future) depends on the president too."
