Reported Tottenham Hotspur target Milan Skriniar will not be leaving Inter Milan this summer and there are currently ‘no negotiations’ underway, sporting director Piero Ausilio has told Sport Italia, via Sempre Inter.
Considering that the Slovakia international has spent almost his entire Nerazzuri career in a flat back four, he would have known that the arrival of Antonio Conte last summer was set to bring a fresh set of challenges.
After all, the former Chelsea and Juventus boss has rarely shifted from his famed 3-5-2 formation.
With Skriniar struggling to adapt to a new and unfamiliar role under Conte’s leadership, the 25-year-old found himself stuck on the bench more often than not during the final few weeks of 2019/20.
The commanding centre-half played just six minutes during the Europa League clashes with Bayer Leverkusen, Shakhtar Donetsk and Sevilla, spending the final watching from the sidelines.
FCInterNews reported in August that Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho was planning a raid of his old employers, with Skriniar set to be offered a three-year contract worth £70,000-a-week in north London.
Gazzetta dello Sport, meanwhile, claimed that Inter could be tempted to sell for around £45 million.
But, according to Ausilio, an Italian giant hoping to balance continental and domestic exploits in 2020/21 have no plans to let one of their most talented players walk out the door on the eve of a new season, even if he is a little out of favour at present.
“Skriniar is a player we have made the right investment for. He has been with us for three years and has done very well,” Ausilio says.
“Recently, maybe, he played less but we will continue to count on him as there are no negotiations ongoing regarding him.”
Gazzetta in June suggested that Liverpool could bring Skriniar to Anfield as Dejan Lovren’s replacement.
But Jurgen Klopp has made it clear time and again of late that big-money signings are just not going to arrive this summer.
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