Mauro Icardi Doesn't Want to Leave Inter Milan, Says Wife and Agent Wanda Nara

Mauro Icardi was hurt after being stripped of Inter Milan's captaincy and doesn't want to leave the club despite his ongoing contract dispute, which wife and agent Wanda Nara says "must be resolved." 

Nara appeared on Mediaset programme Tiki Taka (h/t ESPN FC's Ben Gladwell) and responded to Icardi's recent removal as captain, as well as his absence from Luciano Spalletti's last two matchday squads:

"For Mauro, it's like pulling one of his legs off. He's very proud of that captain's armband and of this shirt. He never played for the money. Mauro loves this club, and he wore the armband with pride.

"I couldn't see this coming. Nobody had said anything to us, despite the fact we'd been in touch with the club on a daily basis and I'd had a three-hour meeting with them. I found out about it via Twitter.

"We are a family of Interistas. Mauro has scored 120 goals for this shirt, and he is the first person to believe in this team. I live in Milan for Inter, and I don't want to leave. We don't want to leave Inter. This situation must be resolved."

Gladwell wrote that Spalletti saw Nara's public comments about Icardi's situation as divisive and that they had "caused embarassment," which led to the decision to strip him of the armband.

He subsequently withdrew from the team that faced Rapid Vienna in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League round-of-32 clash on Thursday and was in the stands for Sunday's 2-1 win over Sampdoria at the San Siro:

Goalkeeper Samir Handanovic has taken over as captain, but Spalletti told the media after the win that he "would've appreciated it even more if he [Icardi] had come to the dressing room to celebrate with us afterwards."

Inter chief executive Giuseppe Marotta arrived in the role from Juventus only last year but made a big power move by disciplining Icardi, and he also told Mediaset the club wants to "resolve this tension and bring serenity," per Gladwell:

"It's not a disciplinary measure. When you are managing a company, and I am the general manager, there are principles which must be adhered to.

"The heads of a family have to take action towards their children to help them grow. Mauro's a good guy, but he's got a lot of growth ahead of him.

"It was with a heavy heart that we took this decision, and all I can say to Wanda is that we will meet soon to discuss this if she likes."

Marotta also said a new contract offer will be presented to Icardi and Nara, after which it will be their decision whether to accept.

Goal provided more comments from the chief executive on Icardi, who is said to have been nursing a knee injury during his time out of the team:

Icardi's absence against Sampdoria came after he had failed to score in his past seven Serie A games, a drought that's been attributed by some to the distractions regarding his contract. The Argentina striker has a deal in Milan until the summer of 2021.

The Nerazzurri have won their last three matches in a row and could welcome Icardi back for Thursday's Europa League second leg at home to Rapid Vienna.