As Deco urged Frank Lampard to stay at Stamford Bridge yesterday, Inter Milan claimed that they have persuaded the England midfield player to join them. Whether the Italian champions can convince Chelsea to sell him remains to be seen.

On Thursday, Massimo Moratti said that Lampard was torn between staying and moving to the San Siro to link up with José Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager. Yesterday the Inter president said that his target had made up his mind. “For the acquisition of Lampard we need to have patience,” he said. “We have the player's approval, but we have to respect Chelsea's rights. His club have every right to keep him.”

Chelsea want to hold on to Lampard, who is in the final year of his contract. He rejected Chelsea's proposal of a £140,000-a-week deal for four years because he would like an extra year. The West London club have turned down one bid for Lampard, but Mourinho is eager to capture him and Inter are prepared to raise their offer to about £11million, although it is believed that they have not yet lodged a second bid. The Chelsea players fly to the Far East tomorrow for a pre-season tour and, with the saga not close to a conclusion, Lampard is likely to be on the plane.

Although Lampard's departure would make it easier for Deco to find a space among the constellation of stars in the Chelsea midfield, the playmaker said at his presentation yesterday that he hoped that Lampard would stay. “Absolutely,” Deco said. “He's a fantastic player. I played against him many times and now I have trained with him and he is a delight to play with. He works very hard and is a great talent. I am looking forward to playing with him very much.”

Deco was equally appreciative of Didier Drogba, another unsettled team-mate. “I did speak to him and said I would love him to stay,” the Portuguese said. “You need players like Drogba.”

Signed from Barcelona for £8million, Deco said that his priority is to help Chelsea to lift the European Cup, a trophy he has won twice, with FC Porto under Mourinho and with the Catalan club. “I'd love to win the Champions League with Chelsea, that's what I'm here for,” he said.

Chelsea are used to spending vast sums to prise targets away from reluctant sellers, but Barcelona were happy to dispense with Deco. Joan Laporta, the club's president, said that the 30-year-old is in decline, a suggestion that the player rejects. He said: “At big clubs, when they don't win a competition it's a disaster for them and the blame is usually put on the most important players. I believe in myself and I had a great Euro 2008.”

He said that he would have signed whether or not Luiz Felipe Scolari was the Chelsea manager, but the presence of the former Portugal coach can only help as Deco seeks to inject flair into a team who have been more efficient than exciting in recent years.

“Mourinho and Scolari are the two best coaches I've ever worked with,” he said. “Both get a group to be strong, but they each have their own style of play, their own vision. Scolari is a friendly, affectionate guy, but he takes work seriously and doesn't want the players joking around when they should be working hard.”