"We do not have to force a player to stay when he asks to leave," Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta has said in response to questions over Christian Eriksen's future less than a year after joining from Tottenham
Sunday 22 November 2020 18:35, UK
Inter Milan chief executive Giuseppe Marotta has suggested Christian Eriksen can leave in January - less than a year after joining from Tottenham.
The Denmark midfielder has started only four games in all competitions so far this season and he has been an unused substitute in the last three in Serie A.
Eriksen recently cast doubt over his future under Antonio Conte, admitting he was not satisfied with his amount of game-time, while Conte has said he will not select his team just to please one player.
Marotta has now admitted the club will evaluate Eriksen's situation in the run-up to the next transfer window, which is just over a month away.
"Conte has already spoken about it thoroughly. I can just add that we do not certainly have to force a player to stay when he asks to leave," Marotta told DAZN.
"We will have to evaluate the situation. Now he is available for Conte, who has been making him play in [Eriksen's] respect and in the club's respect.
"Up to now, we have not received any request from Eriksen, but at the right time we will try to find the right combinations."
Eriksen joined Inter in a £16.9m deal in January 2020, having become unsettled at Tottenham after the 2018-19 season, when Spurs reached the Champions League final.
That summer, he had admitted he was interested in a new challenge, but no move emerged for the Dane despite interest from Manchester United, who have since signed Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek in his position.
United have again been linked with Eriksen this month in the Italian press, while Arsenal have also been mentioned along with Eriksen in recent reports in the UK.
