Inter has given troubled Mauro Icardi a squad number for Serie A this season.
Mauro Icardi has been linked with a move away from Inter all summer, with four Serie A sides battling for his signature, but Inter have given the Argentine a high-profile shirt number.
The Argentina striker saw his No. 9 jersey given to new signing Romelu Lukaku, as talks over a move away from San Siro continued.
Lukaku recently completed an €80 million transfer from Manchester United, having fallen out of favor under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Whilst, Icardi was told to look for a new club by chief executive Giuseppe Marotta in July and was excluded from the club’s pre-season tour of Asia.
In the latest event in this lengthy saga, Inter took to their official website to confirm that Icardi will wear the No. 7 shirt. The Nerazzurri are also expected to include him in their 25-man Serie A squad this season, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
? | SQUAD NUMBERS
See the full list ahead of the upcoming campaign here ? https://t.co/pullCuGK9A
— Inter (@Inter_en) August 23, 2019
Icardi, who will not be called up for Monday’s first match at home to Lecce, even took part in training under the orders of Antonio Conte on Friday, although he didn’t participate in the tactical session. His mere presence in training has led to speculation that Icardi could stay at the club despite all the rumors of a summer exit.
The 26-year-old, who was stripped of the club captaincy last season, was tipped to move to Juventus in a part-exchange deal involving Paulo Dybala, but no such agreement has been reached. Since joining from Sampdoria in 2013, Icardi has been awarded the Capocannoniere, given to Serie A’s highest scorer, twice.
In total, the Argentine has scored 124 goals across 219 appearances for Inter, with 17 goals coming in 37 appearances last season.
SEE ALSO:
- Serie A newcomers Lecce set eyes on high-profile strikers
- Inter snub captain Icardi and hand No. 9 jersey to Lukaku
- Inter Milan Forward’s Move To AS Monaco Ruled Out
