INTER MILAN have rejected claims that they could be ready to allow Wesley Sneijder to join Manchester City as part of any move for Carlos Tevez.

The Serie A club confirmed that discussions were held between their sporting director Marco Branca and the City hierarchy in London on Thursday as they look to broker a deal for Tevez.

The Argentina international looks certain to leave City in the January transfer window after going Awol in his homeland in the wake of being disciplined for his refusal to warm-up during the Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich in September.

AC Milan were thought to be leading the race for the 27-year-old former Manchester United and West Ham forward, a position confirmed on Thursday by the player’s representative, Kia Joorabchian.

One sticking point to their interest is that City will only sanction a permanent transfer, while Milan are keen to take the striker on loan, with a view to completing the move in the summer.

Inter, meanwhile, appear more willing to meet the Premier League club’s demands this month, and with details of the discussions between Inter and City officials emerging earlier this week, that led to speculation that a swap deal involving Dutch international Sneijder could be on the cards. But that has been dismissed out of hand by Inter, with Branca categorically denying that the talented playmaker could be on his way to the Etihad Stadium.

Branca said: “There were no discussions whatsoever regarding Wesley Sneijder today during our meeting in London with representatives of Manchester City.”