Porto president Pinto da Costa has suggested that Mehdi Taremi will depart next year, as the club are unable to match the salary offers he has received from elsewhere.

The 31-year-old's future is currently the subject of much speculation, with his contract at the Estadio do Dragao due to expire next summer.

Manchester United are believed to be considering making a cut-price offer for the Iran international when the January transfer window opens for business in an attempt to address their goalscoring problems.

However, a recent report claimed that Italian giants Inter Milan were at the head of the queue for his services.

Da Costa has claimed that the experienced striker has contract offers on the table worth €10m (£8.7m) per year, which the Portuguese giants would find "impossible to match".

"He has received €10m (£8.7m) per year salary offers from other clubs... it's impossible to match that," Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano quotes the forward as saying.

AC Milan were heavily linked with the striker over the summer, but Da Costa has claimed that the proposals from the Serie A giants were "ridiculous".

"AC Milan came up last summer with ridiculous proposals that weren't even worth talking about," he added.

Taremi made the move to Porto from Rio Ave in 2020, and he has represented the club on 163 occasions in all competitions, scoring 83 goals and registering 52 assists in the process.

This season, the forward has managed three goals and three assists in 16 appearances at club level, including one goal and two assists in four Champions League appearances.

Real Madrid have also been credited with an interest in the Iranian, but Los Blancos are not expected to make any signings during the January transfer window.

Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe continues to be linked with a move to Bernabeu on a free transfer, and it is understood that Manchester City's Erling Haaland could also potentially be targeted.

The identity of the clubs that have currently made offers for Taremi have not been disclosed, but it now appears unlikely that he will be extending his stay at Porto.

Taremi has been in action for Iran during the November international break, scoring in both of his country's matches against Hong Kong and Uzbekistan. body check tags ::