Brazilian Leonardo is thinking about taking a less hands-on sporting director role at former club Paris Saint-Germain, recently bought by Qatari investors, and Inter are working on the presumption he will quit after less than six months in the job.
"Our silence in recent days comes from the knowledge of wanting to make a fundamental choice with extreme calmness," chief executive Ernesto Paolillo told the club's website on Saturday.
"In the coming days there will certainly be an important announcement. Asking if it will be a foreign or Italian manager is like asking if he will be tall or blonde."
Former Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa has turned down an offer of talks with Inter for personal reasons while England's Fabio Capello and Fiorentina's Sinisa Mihajlovic have been linked in the media.
However, the latest reports in Italy said Inter directors had flown to Portugal to see Villas-Boas who honed his skills under treble-winning former Inter boss Jose Mourinho.
Villas-Boas, widely regarded as European football's top young coach, has committed himself to the Portuguese and Europa League champions and the Serie A giants would have to pay huge compensation if they persuaded him to change his mind.
Inter missed out on a sixth straight scudetto last term when Leonardo's former club AC Milan took the Serie A title while the Brazilian also presided over Inter's Champions League quarter-final exit as holders.
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