Inter Milan have accepted a bid from Manchester United for Wesley Sneijder. The Mirror says the Dutch midfielder's club, Inter Milan, have paved the way for a £30million-plus transfer by accepting, in principle, a formal offer United made at the weekend.
They are ready to grant Sneijder permission to speak to officials from Old Trafford, and the Mirror understands those talks will take place later this week.
The only stumbling block to what would surely be world football's deal of the summer is the player's wage demands, given the tax-favourable status he enjoys while playing in Italy.
Sneijder doesn't want to take a pay-cut on a salary that would earn him the equivalent of almost £190,000 a week in the Premier League - which is way outside United's pay structure.
The English champions though, are prepared to talk about a sliding pay scale that will see a large basic wage topped up with generous bonuses as well as signing-on fees that will be spread over the length of the contract.
The player's agent is expected to fly into London before the weekend, and United are hoping to have the Holland international training with the squad in time for the start of the Premier League season a week on Saturday.
