Spalletti doesn't fear losing Inter stars

Inter coach Luciano Spalletti claims he is not concerned about losing key players during the transfer window.

The Nerazzurri enjoyed a strong first half of 2017-18, although a run of four league matches without a win in December saw them enter the mid-season break third in Serie A, seven points behind leaders Napoli.

Captain and star striker Mauro Icardi has been linked with a move away from San Siro, while midfielder Joao Mario, who has found himself out of the starting XI under Spalletti, is potentially set to leave.

Manchester United could also choose to renew their rumoured interest in forward Ivan Perisic.

Questioned by Premium Sport on possible departures, the coach said: "We'll act in perfect harmony with what the needs of Inter are. The players under contract here are our players.

"The Chinese ownership has the results of the team at the heart of things, they're bringing consistency to the history of Inter because they have the expertise and the will to contribute to improving everything at the club."

Financial constraints may prevent Inter from reinforcing significantly without selling first, and Spalletti is not counting on new players being made available to him.

"I'm certainly not waiting for anything from the transfer market," he said.

"The team and club are strong and those who are responsible for our campaign in the market will know how to benefit from any possible opportunities to improve our squad. Numerically, if someone then comes in to fill up the squad it's even better still."

Having thrashed Chievo 5-0 on December 3, Inter then scored just once in a 3-1 loss at home to Udinese, as they also suffered a 1-0 defeat at Sassuolo and were held to 0-0 draws by Juventus and Lazio.

Spalletti, though, rejected concerns about his team's misfiring attack.

"We have a specialist in Mauro Icardi… I don't believe that it's a big problem," he said.

Inter remain on track to challenge for Champions League qualification, a tournament they have not appeared in since 2011-12.

Nevertheless, Spalletti is adamant there is more to come from the team in the second half of the campaign.

"I'm not happy with my work because you always need to aim for better," he said.

"We need to all work in a way which is worthy of Inter, this is what makes the difference. We've done very well so far, we've picked up a lot of points but I don't think that we've still shown the very best of what we can do."