Mancini: Inter stars staying put for now

Roberto Mancini says there are no deals in progress which would see any of his Inter stars leave the club this month.

Having spent significant sums during the previous transfer window, the San Siro side have been tipped to allow a handful of players to leave in order to bolster their finances in January.

Striker Mauro Icardi has been tentatively linked with both Arsenal and Manchester City, while it is widely believed that Nemanja Vidic will be allowed to terminate his contract six months early and find a new club.

Mancini, however, says no sales are in the offing, telling the media on Friday: “I know it says things in certain newspapers but, right now, all our players are here. January is an awkward month, but at the moment none of our players are going anywhere.”

Though he admits he wants to see more from Icardi this season, Mancini is adamant he can forge a strong attacking partnership with Stevan Jovetic, who has failed to hit top form since his move from Manchester City.

“Icardi and Jovetic have different qualities. They’ve often done well, I think they can work together. But we expect more,” he said.

A shock defeat at home to Sassuolo last weekend saw Inter slip to third in Serie A, behind leaders Napoli and resurgent champions Juventus.

While he is not surprised to see Massimiliano Allegri’s side right back in the Scudetto race again, Mancini is confident Inter can sustain their push for the top of the table in the second half of the season.

“Tomorrow I want to see the same spirit I saw on Sunday, but with a different result,” he added.

“We didn’t deserve to lose against Sassuolo but this is football, we have to accept it. We’ve had an excellent first half to the season and we must try to improve.

“Bergamo is a tough place to go. To beat Atalanta, you need to be on the top of your game.

“Right now I need players to drive the team forward. I will choose the best line-up tomorrow.

“We can stay towards the top. Other teams have more stars, but we are where we are because we’ve got quality.”