Report: Inter Yet to Reach Milan Skriniar Deal Amid Man United, Man City Rumours

Inter Milan have reportedly failed to agree terms with star defender Milan Skriniar over a new contract amid rumours Manchester United and Manchester City are interested in the player.

According to Kaustubh Pandey of Calciomercato, despite holding contract negotiations with Skriniar three months ago, the Nerazzurri have made no progress since. United and City are said to have been alerted to the situation, although the 23-year-old Slovakian has a deal at the San Siro that runs until 2022.

Pandey added that "Inter are calm and are confident that the defender will sign the new contract until the summer of 2023."

Skriniar only signed for Inter in the summer of 2017 from Sampdoria and has made a major impact for the Nerazzurri, establishing himself as one of the standout defenders in Italian football.

United have been linked with a move for a new defender since the summer. According to Rob Dawson of ESPN, United boss Jose Mourinho will look to improve his central defensive options in January, with Skriniar and AC Milan's Alessio Romagnoli said to be on the Portuguese's list of targets.

When asked about the transfer speculation recently, the Slovakia international said he wouldn't let it hamper his focus at Inter.

"Yes, but I don't know if it's true," he said when asked about supposed interest from United, per Sport.sk (h/t Metro). "Personally, I don't know, as the transfer window has just shut, so it's hard for me to say anything. There was some noise in the summer, but nothing happened, so I'm not letting it bother me."

Inter will want to get an extension agreed as quickly as possible for Skriniar amid the swirling speculation. Scouted Football outlined how impressive he was on Sunday in the 1-0 win over rivals AC Milan: 

In addition to being excellent on the ball, Skriniar boasts tremendous defensive instincts too, making him a linchpin at the base of Luciano Spalletti's team.

Throughout his time at the San Siro, he's been forceful in the challenge and an intelligent decision-maker. At 23, he also still has a long way to go before reaching his peak.

When it comes to winning the ball back, there are few players in Serie A who can match him:

United have struggled to keep things tight at the back so far this term, conceding 16 goals—three more than the combined number scored against the current top three of City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Pep Guardiola's side don't appear to be in quite the same need when it comes to landing a defender, with John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Nicolas Otamendi and Vincent Kompany their current options. So far this season, they've conceded just three goals from their nine games.