Marotta: 'No Eriksen contact'

By Football Italia staff

Inter director Beppe Marotta confirmed they are seeking “a midfielder and winger” in January, dropped Arturo Vidal hints, but denied “any contact” for Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen.

The Serie A match with Napoli kicks off at 19.45 GMT, click here for the line-ups and LIVEBLOG.

The Nerazzurri chief was asked before the game about interest in Barcelona and Chile midfielder Vidal.

“We are having various contacts with agents and clubs to increase the quality level of a squad that is already doing extraordinary things,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.

“We’ve not yet reached a conclusion, as we want to take it calmly and make the right decisions, even if that should mean no signings at all.

“I prefer not to name names, but we are very active on the transfer market. Who we get depends also on those who exit.

“Right now, we are seeking a midfielder and a winger. If players should ask to leave, we will try to make them happy, but so far we have not received any such pressure from our players.”

There are strong reports from Denmark, England and Italy suggesting Inter have a deal worth €20m to sign Eriksen from Tottenham Hotspur, but Marotta shot down these suggestions.

“Inter are often linked with players of great quality, and that is flattering, but we have not had any contact with Tottenham. Eriksen is a talented player, I don’t need to tell you that, and he will be a free agent in June 2020.

“I think many clubs are interested, he is an interesting player, but I will not stand here and tell you that we are in negotiations with his club or agent.”

Diego Godin is surprisingly on the bench this evening, with Alessandro Bastoni preferred.

“There are three tournaments, so all the players are called up or sent to the bench at one point or another. The coach makes his decisions based on performances and form, but modern football requires the squad to be very deep and that is why we are working on the market to change that. We are well aware the squad is a little thin, due also to some injuries, but they are all co-first choices.”

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