Milan Skriniar is expecting to sign a contract extension at Inter amid ongoing transfer talk linking him with the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United.
Alongside Ajax skipper Matthijs de Ligt, a 24-year-old on the books at San Siro has emerged as one of the most sought-after centre-halves in world football.
His future has constantly been called into question over recent months, with another series of impressive showings in 2018-19 helping to enhance his reputation.
Moves to England and Spain have been mooted, but the Slovakia international has always maintained that he sees himself staying in Italy.
Skriniar is not about to relax that stance, telling Goal and DAZN when asked how close he is to agreeing fresh terms at Inter: “Close, very close.”
He went on to confirm that he wants to remain with the Nerazzurri and, when pressed on whether he sees an extended stay being agreed, said: “I think so.”
It has been suggested that Skriniar has already knocked back approaches from leading sides across Europe.
No formal bids have been put to Inter, but reports have claimed that moves have been made to sound the defender out about a possible switch away from Serie A.
Real Madrid are said to have asked some of those questions, but Skriniar insists he has never had any contact with the Blancos.
Quizzed on whether he has snubbed those at the Santiago Bernabeu, he said: “No, honestly I didn’t even hear about that.
“I have no idea where that rumour came from, but I didn’t know anything about it.”
Skriniar’s only future thoughts involve him still being on the books at Inter.
There is a desire on his part to build on the positive work he has done over the last two seasons, while potentially pushing himself into contention to take the armband.
He said when asked if he dreams of becoming a captain: “I don’t think about these things. I only think about playing.
“I don’t think that something suddenly changes just because you have the armband. Obviously you have some extra responsibility, but whether you have the armband or not you always have to give everything on the pitch.
“You always have to do that, it doesn’t matter whether you play one minute or the whole match.
“And if you are the captain then you still do the same things in order to help the team.”
As things stand, with two games of the Serie A season to go, Skriniar is looking to help Inter cement a third-place standing and book their place in Champions League competition for 2019-20.