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Simone Inzaghi is hopeful that Inter can reach an agreement with midfielder Marcelo Brozovic over a new contract.
Croatia international Brozovic is due to become a free agent at the end of the season and has been linked with the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle United.
While Nicolo Barella and Lautaro Martinez have recently signed new deals, fresh terms have yet to be reached with Brozovic as the January transfer window draws nearer.
According to reports from Italy, Inter directors Giuseppe Marotta, Piero Ausilio and Dario Baccin met with the 29-year-old’s representatives earlier this week.
Inzaghi was unable to provide an update on Brozovic’s future at a news conference on Saturday, but the Inter head coach says his bosses are aware of his thoughts.
“Marcelo is a great footballer,” Inzaghi said ahead of Sunday’s home clash with Napoli. “He’s been here for many years and he’s always doing great things.
“Our managers are here every day and they are the ones who discuss these issues. They know what I feel about the player.”
Brozovic’s importance was clear to see in last term’s Scudetto-winning campaign when featuring in 33 of Inter’s 38 Serie A games.
He has started all 12 league games this term and ranks first among Inter players for passes (755) and successful passes (696), while only Barella (17) has won more tackles than Brozovic’s 11.
The former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder is in line to start again when Inter welcome Napoli to San Siro.
Napoli entered the weekend top of Serie A after going unbeaten through their opening 12 matches, with their last league loss coming 22 games ago against Juventus in April.
Reigning champions Inter are seven points behind their opponents and are winless in four league games this season against sides that finished in the top seven last time out.
“It’ll be a very important game for our position in the table,” said Inzaghi, who has lost seven of his previous 10 managerial matches against Napoli.
“Courage and motivation can make the difference. We have done well in Serie A and the Champions League.
“We’re only two points off our position at this stage last season, but it’s also true that Milan and Napoli are having the kind of start we hadn’t seen in Serie A for 40 years.
“We deserved more against Atalanta, Juventus and Milan, only getting three draws, so we need to do more from tomorrow in the head-to-head clashes. The time has come to win these games.”
