Inter Chief Insists Tottenham Target Milan Skriniar Will Remain at the Club

Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio is confident that defender Milan Skriniar will remain at the club this summer amid speculation linking the centre-back with Tottenham.

Skriniar evolved into the Nerazzurri's most prized defensive asset during Luciano Spalletti's reign at the San Siro, but the Slovakia international's status has gone from irreplaceable to dispensable following the arrival of Antonio Conte as manager last summer.

Skriniar endured a down year in 2019/20 amid the drastic system change brought about by Antonio Conte / Lintao Zhang/International Champions Cup/Getty Images

After starring in a back four under Spalletti, Skriniar struggled somewhat to adapt to Conte's three-at-the-back system last term, with Stefan de Vrij emerging as Inter's premier centre-half.

Thus, with the 25-year-old still holding plenty of value, Conte was reportedly willing to see the back of the defender this summer in a bid to recoup funds and invest elsewhere in the Nerazzurri squad.

Spurs have been linked with a move for Skriniar amid Jose Mourinho's search for a new centre-half, but after discussions between the two clubs failed to result in a deal, sporting director Ausilio has made it clear that the Slovakian will remain an Inter player this summer.

“We reiterated that Skriniar is not on the market and no offers have arrived in this sense, rather than reiterating that he will stay here I don’t know what to say,” he said, as quoted by Tuttomercatoweb.

Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio insists Milan Skriniar will remain in Milan this summer / Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images

It's understood that the two parties failed to reach an agreement over a fee, with Skriniar intrigued by the possibility of the Premier League and working with Jose Mourinho. Inter were looking for €50m for the 25-year-old's services, a valuation the Lilywhites are yet to match.

Should the north Londoners stump up the cash Inter demand, it appears that, despite Ausilio's recent quotes, the Nerazzurri would still be willing to sell.

Nevertheless, Skriniar returned to Conte's starting XI for Inter's 5-2 victory over Benevento on Tuesday after finding himself among the substitutes for their season opener - a thrilling 4-3 triumph over Fiorentina - on Saturday night.