Pressure from Italy has forced Sporting Lisbon to bring forward plans to negotiate a deal for on-loan Lokomotiv Moscow winger Marat Izmailov.
Sporting have the option to sign Izmailov permanently for £2.7 million in May, but interest from Inter Milan and Sampdoria is threatening the deal.
The Portuguese club now want to wrap up an outright deal before the January market, well aware that Inter and Samp have also registered their interest with Lokomotiv in the last week.