Spalletti rejects Candreva to Chelsea speculation

Reports Antonio Candreva is set to join Chelsea are “absolutely not” true, says Inter head coach Luciano Spalletti.

Candreva started as Inter claimed the International Champions Cup title in Singapore with a 2-1 win against Chelsea, thanks to Stevan Jovetic and Ivan Perisic goals.

The Italy international has been linked with a switch to the Premier League champions after a single season at San Siro, but Spalletti insisted no deal has been done.

“Absolutely not,” Spalletti said when asked if Candreva was set to join Chelsea. “A lot of things have happened during the summer but we intend to keep Candreva.

“If we have to sell him it will be difficult because we are short of wingers. We will need to discuss it internally before making any decisions.”

Full time: #ChelseaInter 1-2! The Nerazzurri win the #ICCSG taking maximum points!  #InterSummerTour #ForzaInter #FCIM pic.twitter.com/SBfXU2WVuB

— F.C. Internazionale (@Inter_en) July 29, 2017

Perisic has also been the subject of strong transfer speculation, with Manchester United reportedly at the front of the queue for the Croatia international.

The midfielder hit 11 Serie A goals last season but Spalletti highlighted that Inter still only finished seventh in the Serie A table despite his excellent contribution.

“The last year Perisic played with Inter he was important to the team,” Spalletti said. “But with Perisic we did not win anything. It is important the team wins, not one individual.”

#Spalletti talks up importance of the team after morale-boosting #ICCSG win over Chelsea  https://t.co/U3RSZrJABx #InterSummerTour #FCIM

— F.C. Internazionale (@Inter_en) July 29, 2017

Victory over Chelsea made it three ICC wins out of three for Inter and Spalletti was satisfied with his side’s preparations for the new campaign.

“It’s difficult for the team and playing against Chelsea and Bayern is not easy,” the Italian said. “We had some anxiety, but the response was good, with attacking and defending. I’m impressed with the performance of the team.

“On the positive side I was surprised by our professionalism. Last season was difficult with concentration issues but we have made a lot of progress. I must also say there were careless mistakes in the last half an hour of the game.

“The reason could also be that we have played five games in the last two weeks, the last one two days ago, so there are different reasons for the team’s lack of attention after 60 minutes. Overall I am happy and we are working in the right direction.

“We played very well until 60 minutes then Chelsea started attacking more. We made some minor mistakes but I’m pleased with the performance of the team.”