Mega-rich Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala are in talks with Inter over a possible transfer of Cameroonian forward Samuel Eto’o, the Serie A club revealed yesterday.

Italian press reports claim Anzhi, owned by Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, have made a 30-million-euro bid for the former African footballer of the year and are prepared to pay him €60 million net over three years.

“It was an informal meeting. We listened to their proposal but as we’re talking about an important player it’s not a transfer that can be completed in one afternoon. We’ll meet again,” Inter technical director Marco Branca said.

The newspaper said Anzhi had sent a four-man delegation to Milan to thrash out a deal, including former Real Madrid striker Pedrag Mijatovic.

Eto’o, who was represented at the meeting by his agent Claudio Vigorelli, is believed to be holding out for a four-year deal with the same conditions.

Anzhi are based in the capital of the restless Russian Republic of Dagestan.

They play their home matches there but the players live and train in Moscow due to the low-level Islamic insurgency that has seen occasional spates of violence and terrorism break-out in the republic, which borders Chechnya.

However, businessman and philanthropist Kerimov has already managed to attract other star names to the club since buying it in January.

Former Brazil and Real Madrid left-back Roberto Carlos is the club captain while fellow Brazilian international Jucilei has joined from Corinthians.

Russian international Yuri Zhirkov joined the club in the summer from Chelsea while Anzhi made an unsuccessful bid to tempt Milan’s Gennaro Gattuso with an offer of €10 million a year.

The sale of Eto’o would free up Inter funds for a bid for Manchester City’s unsettled Argentina forward Carlos Tevez.