Inter are in no rush over Calhanoglu's renewal: he remains out of contract

There have been contacts, mainly by phone, with his agent Gordon Stipic, and Baccin all but confirmed it in that first interview: "We have a strong squad, we are handling the talks calmly and when we have any news we will certainly let you know, but there is no rush. We have clear ideas and the players want to stay. We want to keep this team at the highest possible level while respecting the financial parameters"

The key phrase in these statements, though, is the same one that, Sky Sport report, Inter keep repeating to the player's agents as well: "there is no rush".

Inter know how important the Turkish player is to the way this team play, but they are weighing up his overall impact, not just what he offers on a technical level.

Calhanoglu is now 32 and will turn 33 in February, he has started to suffer a number of physical problems over the last two seasons and, above all, he is one of the three highest-paid players in the entire squad, earning more than €6.5 million per year.

The other key line from Dario Baccin's interview underlined the need to "respect the financial parameters", and that's where a new policy on contract renewals for players over 30 comes in: no more long deals, ideally one-year contracts with an option, and above all a large chunk of the salary package tied to performance-related bonuses rather than the fixed amount.

Calhanoglu has effectively been offered a one-year contract plus a further optional year, with a fixed salary well below his current €6.5 million, but also plenty of bonuses linked mainly to appearances, specifically to protect the club from the growing number of injuries he is suffering.

Right now, the two sides are still some way apart, but there's no rush to reach an agreement, either for Inter or for the player, who is very happy in Milan but has been listening for some time to the prospect of a lucrative return home to Turkey.