ROME – Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio spoke to Sky Sport Italia before kick-off in tonight’s game between Roma and Inter.

The first question put to him was about the rumours linking Inter with Arsenal full-back Bacary Sagna. Ausilio said: "We’re keeping tabs on players who could fit with what we need. At the moment we’re just looking around and observing. We’ll see in a few weeks’ time."

On his reported dinner with Vigorelli: "Do you think I’d go all the way to London to meet Eto’o’s agent when he has an office in the centre of Milan 100 metres from our headquarters? It was just a dinner between friends."

Ausilio continued: "We want to be competitive again. We’re trying to find players who fit with the coach’s requirements and who can improve the quality of the squad we already have here. That’s what we did with Botta, D’Ambrosio and Hernanes. We have to make sure we identify players who suit our needs. We know exactly what we’re looking for."

The sporting director then spoke about when these two sides met earlier in the season: "I remember the reverse fixture very well. Roma deserved to win but they took advantage of some very particular situations. I don’t think Inter played badly. It was a blip at a time when this team was still starting out. We’ve pulled ourselves together again now after a tricky period when the team weren’t able to express themselves properly, partly due to injuries. Look at Icardi: he wasn’t playing mainly because he wasn’t fit enough. Now he’s fine. The team are working well, we have to keep playing our game and that’s what we want to do here against Roma tonight."