Mauro Icardi admitted he could leave Inter Milan this summer after the club’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League were dealt a major blow following a 2-1 defeat to Sassuolo on Saturday.
The Argentine star has been consistently linked with a move away from the San Siro and would likely to fetch a high price that could help balance Inter’s books now that the financial boost of Europe’s top competition now appears unlikely.
UEFA’s financial fair play rules may also pose a problem, and Icardi accepted Inter may need to sell him this summer.
“I repeat every year, I will speak to the club,” Icardi told Sky Sport Italia and Mediaset Premium. “If it’s good for the team that I stay, then I’ll stay, otherwise I will leave. I always do what is best for the club and the team. When the season ends, we’ll talk to the club and see what is best for them.”
Saturday’s defeat leaves Inter two points back of Lazio for Serie A’s final Champions League qualification spot, which the Roman club can wrap up with a result at Crotone on Sunday.
But if Crotone win, Inter would still have a chance to finish in the top four when they visit Lazio next weekend.
“We started the season in extraordinary fashion, then had a dip, but the only thing I can say is that I’m proud of what we’ve done,” Icardi said. “The objective was the Champions League and not being in it means we’ve missed the target we set at the start of the campaign. We always start with that as a target and we’ve never managed it.
“Hopefully, tomorrow Crotone will give us a chance to still fight it out with Lazio next week.”
Inter boss Luciano Spalletti said his players were “just distraught in the locker room” after the game ended.
“The result is also down to our own mistakes, because we did get the balls into the box,” Spalletti said. “Sassuolo had the right approach and we compliment them for winning a big game for their prestige. They probably felt comfortable after securing their Serie A safety and tended to lie on the ground a few minutes longer than necessary, but if they let them do it…”
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