Inter Milan chief Marco Branca admits they explored the prospect of signing Barcelona star Lionel Messi.
Messi has been a long-term target for Inter president Massimo Moratti.
"A move begins when there's that transfer spark in terms of technique and personality. A player has to really impress us a great deal before he is taken into consideration. It means in recent years we've created a squad that can be appreciated as players and as men.
"We always appreciated Messi right from the start of his career, but even then it was clear he had made a decision with his family to stay with Barcelona," explained Branca.
"It was also out of recognition for the club standing by him in a difficult period of his life."
