Italian agent Giocondo Martorelli believes that Inter have decided to keep hold of defender Milan Skriniar because they want to remain competitive for trophies this season.

Speaking to Italian news outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, Martorelli gave the view that the Nerazzurri directors gave a clear signal that they are prioritizing competitiveness on the pitch over other concerns with their decision to keep hold of the 27-year-old.

Inter had been linked with a sale of Skriniar for much of the summer, with Paris Saint-Germain the likeliest destination for the Slovakian should he leave, but instead it has now been reported that they have decided to keep him and try to extend his contract.

The 27-year-old’s sale would have been a big financial boost for the Nerazzurri, but it would have also risked seriously harming the team on the pitch as they try to kick on from last season, and Martorelli believes that this was the thinking behind the decision to keep him.

“Inter’s directors have very clear ideas,” he said of the decision not to sell Skriniar, “they want to remain competitive.”

“If you want to be competitive you can’t just sell a player like Skriniar,” he added. “They lost out on Bremer, so they ultimately decided to keep Skriniar.”