Inter chief Beppe Marotta commented on Milan Skriniar’s contract talks, Robin Gosens, Romelu Lukaku and the ultras scandal ahead of their Champions League trip to Bayern Munich.
It kicks off at the Allianz Arena at 20.00 GMT.
The result is largely irrelevant, as both teams have qualified for the Round of 16 and Bayern Munich are guaranteed top spot, with Inter in second, sending Barcelona to the Europa League.
“This is a squad that has been together for a while and has been growing constantly in Italy and Europe, so qualifying for the knockouts for two years running shows the progress made in bringing Inter back to the prestige and level that it deserves,” Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.
The director was asked about negotiations for Milan Skriniar’s new contract, as PSG continue to hover, and growing reports Robin Gosens could be a January transfer window target.
“Skriniar’s value is superlative, on and off the field, so I am very optimistic we can reach a conclusion of those negotiations by the World Cup break, so circa November 13. We have some very positive signs.
“Gosens is a very important player, part of the Germany national team, and is adapting slowly. We mustn’t be hasty and let him gradually become more embedded in the way this team plays.”
Romelu Lukaku had recently made his comeback in the Champions League and Serie A after two months out with a thigh strain, only to suffer another relapse in training.
“In recent weeks there have been a lot of relapses in various squads, due largely to the rush players have to get back in shape and recover from injury during a packed schedule. There are numerous situations that make it difficult to deal with, but I believe the big clubs should no longer talk about first team players and reserves, it is one group that can be called upon in any match.
“So we are sad for Lukaku, but have the players to fulfil all our obligations while we wait for him to fully recover.”
There was scandal at the weekend when ultras pushed and threatened the regular ticket-paying fans to leave the Curva Nord as a sign of ‘respect’ for their leader who was shot in a criminal gang war.
“We released a statement that was very clear. Inter have always fought against all kinds of violence, physical and verbal. I would compare it to VAR, as you can try to reduce the errors and prevent problems, so we are trying to limit it, but have been unable to completely eradicate it so far.
“Our fanbases is amongst the best in the world, we want to look at the good things rather than the negatives, although what happened the other day was an ugly page in the world of football, not just of Inter.”