Daniel Sturridge close to completing Inter Milan move as Serie A side reach agreement with Liverpool

Inter Milan seem to have finally made a breakthrough in their efforts to sign Daniel Sturridge from Liverpool after reportedly agreeing to a six-month loan deal with the option of making the deal permanent at the end of the season.

The Serie A outfit have been on the trail of the Reds striker since early in the January transfer window but they were struggling to reach an agreement with the Merseyside club over a transfer fee. Liverpool were initially demanding a fee of around £30m ($42.5m) for a permanent transfer, but interested clubs were baulking at their demands.

Sturridge is also keen to leave Liverpool during the ongoing January transfer window as he seeks regular playing time, something that has not been guaranteed under Jurgen Klopp. The German coach has made it clear that Roberto Firmino and Dominic Solanke are ahead of the England international for the number nine role in his starting XI.

The 28-year-old is keen to play regularly in order to have a chance of making Gareth Southgate's 23-man squad for the World Cup in Russia this summer. A move to Inter is likely to give the £120,000-a-week striker an opportunity to recapture his form and force his way back into the Three Lions setup.

According to Italian publication Corriere Dello Sport (via the Mirror), the two clubs have finally reached an agreement for the transfer of Sturridge before the end of the transfer window on 31 January. It will be an initial loan deal for a fee of around €2m (£1.75m, $2.48m) which will become a permanent transfer for a fee of around €28.5m in the summer.

Premier League outfits West Ham United and Newcastle United were also keen to sign the Liverpool forward, but the report claims that he is keen on a move abroad. Inter were not the only club interested outside England with AS Roma and sixth-placed La Liga side Sevilla also monitoring the situation.