Inter have no reason to fear losing Mauro Icardi to Real Madrid in the near future as his commitment to the Italian club is clear, sporting director Piero Ausilio says.
The 24-year-old striker has been linked with Europe's top teams in recent transfer windows, with Madrid said to be heavily interested. However, the Argentine opted to sign a new contract in October 2016 to keep him tied to the Serie A side until 2021.
In impressive form again this season with 16 goals from 15 games and worth over €200 million by his wife's reckoning, Icardi is attracting more attention, but Ausilio insists even the Champions League holders could not lure him away from San Siro.
"There is no need to convince him to commit further to Inter," he told Domenica Sportiva. "His contract is long and his commitment is clear, he is our captain and wants to win with this shirt. All this goes beyond the contracts and the clauses.
"Real Madrid haven't contacted us, but it would be their job to convince Mauro to leave a project like ours in which he is the protagonist. Also, a release clause is not a problem."
Inter are top of Serie A for the first time in two years after beating Chievo 5-0 and have set their sights on winning the title, and instead of selling a star like Icardi, Ausilio suggested more signings could be on the way in the next transfer window.
"The group is our strength, everyone helps one another to work and they get on well together. This team could only be improved by the addition of a really great player but I’ve not seen that they’ll be available in January," he said.
"It’s nice to be top of the table but we need to be realistic. It’s been a good a journey so far but there’s a long way to go from here until the end of the season. Everyone is running out in front. We’re happy though and have no intention of coming down."