Proven goalscorers are worth their weight in gold. As those that have perfected the most difficult skill in football, anybody with a track record of hitting the back is never going to be short on suitors.

Edin Dzeko slips seamlessly into that category, with the evergreen striker still going strong in the twilight of a distinguished career. The Bosnian frontman has been troubling opposition defences for 20 years now.

There is still plenty left in the tank, with double figures the very least that a skilled marksman intends to post in each passing campaign. That target has been reached again in 2022-23, with the promise of more to come.

Prizes

His efforts have Inter in the hunt for major honours, with football odds pricing them at 11/1 for Champions League glory.

Dzeko is accustomed to competing for the grandest of prizes, as a title winner in Germany and England, with his former employers at Manchester City still going strong as 7/5 shots in Premier League bets focused on the battle for domestic supremacy in England.

Dzeko had been hoping to get his hands on the Italian equivalent during his time at San Siro, but tangible success in Serie A has so far proved elusive. There may, however, be one more season in which to right that wrong.

That is because contract talk is back on the agenda in Milan. Dzeko penned a two-year deal upon his arrival at Inter, with those terms set to expire in the summer of 2023.

Free agency may well beckon, amid talk of a possible return to English football being made, but an extended stay in current surroundings is also on the cards.

Dzeko has expressed a desire to remain with the Nerazzurri, saying when quizzed on his contract: “Let’s put it this way, my will is to do well until June and the rest will follow. I won’t add anything else.”

Inter boss Simone Inzaghi has also hinted at keeping a seasoned performer front and centre in his plans for the immediate and more long-term future, saying: “I would absolutely extend his contract but these questions are not ones you should be asking me, I have great directors with expert knowledge who know what the best thing to do is.”

A new deal appeared to be a formality when registering nine goals prior to the mid-season World Cup finals in Qatar.

The target was, however, found on just two occasions between a return to domestic action being made at the start of 2023 and another international break being hit in March.

Partners

Questions have inevitably been asked – with Romelu Lukaku also failing to fire as intended during his loan return from Chelsea – as to whether Inter should be looking to bring in different partners for Argentina international Lautaro Martinez this summer.

It is easy to argue a case for collective ranks being freshened up, but there is also plenty to be said for stability and continuity.

The striking department is not the only area in need of reinforcement and, with Dzeko still capable of delivering in the final third, fresh terms for him may be a better option than a step Inter the unknown.