Suning Holdings, the Chinese retail giant that is the majority shareholder of Alexis Sánchez and Arturo Vidal's team, is looking for investors interested in taking a stake in the Italian club in an attempt to raise fresh capital to fix its finances. The idea is not new. Suning was in talks with venture capital firm BC Partners to sell part of the club's ownership, but negotiations broke down earlier this year.

Inter's revenues, like those of many soccer clubs, were severely affected by the pandemic. This year, the club had difficulty paying players' salaries, although it finally secured financing from fund manager Oaktree Capital Management, which agreed last May to lend the club $310 million.

An injection of fresh capital would give Inter the resources to repay its debts and avoid what happened to its archrival, AC Milan, three years ago, when one of its creditors, the hedge fund Elliot Investment, took ownership of the club after it failed to meet its financial commitments.