With this weekend’s primetime clash with Fiorentina just two days away, Inter striker Mauro Icardi sat down to speak with the Corriere dello Sport about the current season, as well as the transfer speculation that led the struggling striker to a departure from Milan.

The 22-year-old did not disappoint, revealing that some prestigious clubs were interested in him When he was negotiating with the club over renewing his deal with the Nerazzurri,

“There were offers to go elsewhere, but I had a clear notion in my mind that it was better to stay here. I heard something of Wolfsburg and Manchester United’s interest in me, but I want to stay at Inter.

“If United come looking for me, they won’t be either the first or the last club that I can turn down.

“I’m happy in Milan, I don’t plan to leave. Though I’ve always been Newell’s through and through, I have a special bond with Inter, I’m happy to be a part of the club”.

The Argentine forward, who has struggled this year after leading the Serie A scoring charts last season with 22 strikes, has denied any friction with manager Roberto Mancini, or striker partner Stefan Jovetic.

“I have a good relationship with Manicni. was initially disappointed for being left on the bench, but I immediately told Director of Sport Piero Ausilio that there weren’t any problems.

“I get on really well with Jovetic. We probably have a different way of playing, but it’s not true that we can’t play together, or that we lack that spark. We’ll improve, you’ll see.”

Though he’s netted 10 times so far this season, Icardi has been in and out of the starting lineup. Still, he seems to hold his manager in high esteem.

“When Mancini returned to Inter he told me: ‘You need to score 15-20 goals a season. If you net more, all the better’. It’s normal that a coach should try to motivate me, and would want me to always perform at my best.  

Maurito then confirmed that he has always believed in Champions League qualification, and that the Nerazzurri bandwagon will soon be underway once more.