Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini would love to prise Momo Sissoko away from Liverpool.
Tuttosport says Sissoko is the one midfielder Mancini has asked for beyond the likes of Deco (Barcelona) and Radoslaw Kovac (Spartak Moscow).
But Inter president Massimo Moratti has refused to make the cash available to tempt Liverpool into selling.
Aware of interest from Juventus over the summer, Sissoko admitted: "I could easily have moved to Italy, but decided to stay in England."