Moratti confident of repelling Real bid for Mourinho
Genoa agree to sell Milito, Motta to Inter
Serie A champions Inter are confident of hanging on to Jose Mourinho after media reported that Real Madrid want to lure the Portuguese coach away from them, club president Massimo Moratti said.
Spanish media said Real presidential candidate Florentino Perez had targeted Mourinho, who clinched the Serie A title last weekend in his maiden season in Italy.
Perez will bid to regain the presidency of the nine-times European champions next month.
"The news from Spain reached us immediately but our coach has assured me that he does not want to leave Inter," Moratti was quoted as saying by yesterday's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I want to believe in our coach's word. In the past he has proved his seriousness, he has already shown that he never betrays his word.
"He is too serious a professional to do something of the sort."
Former Chelsea and Porto boss Mourinho, whose contract with Inter runs until 2011, has previously said that it is 100 per cent certain that he will stay at the club next season.
Meanwhile, Genoa striker Diego Milito and midfielder Thiago Motta are poised to join Inter at the end of the season, Genoa president Enrico Preziosi has said.
Mourinho is keen to reinforce his squad for an assault on the Champions League next term and several ageing players such as forward Hernan Crespo and winger Luis Figo are expected to leave.
"Today I met Inter president Massimo Moratti and we have reached an agreement for the sale of Milito and Motta at the end of the season. I thank them for all they have given us," Preziosi told Italian television late on Wednesday.
Argentina's Milito has scored 20 league goals to help Genoa to a surprise fifth place in Serie A this term while Brazilian Motta, hampered by knee problems while at Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, has rediscovered fitness and form on Italy's west coast.
Preziosi said Milito would be replaced by Atalanta striker Sergio Floccari, who will cost €11 million and had been wanted by Napoli.
Italian media have reported that striker Robert Acquafresca, on loan at Cagliari from Inter, will move to Genoa as part of the deal for Milito and Motta.
Mourinho has also expressed an interest in Udinese's Italy striker Fabio Quagliarella with Inter forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic not certain to stay at the San Siro after saying he was considering his future.