Inter Milan forward Mauro Icardi was reportedly stripped of his skipper duties because of issues between his agent and the club.
The Argentina international, who has worn the armband for Inter since 2015, is in the midst of a contract issue with the Italian giants.
Chelsea are one of the clubs linked with a transfer for Icardi, who would fetch a huge fee for Inter as one of the best forwards in the world.
Inter want Icardi to sign a new contract, while the player’s agent, and wife, Wanda Nara has publicly said there is no need to sign a fresh contract.
Various Italian outlets have declared Nara’s conduct and comments to the press are the reason Icardi has been removed as captain.
Gianluca Di Marzio claim it is not the contract issues which has forced Inter to demote Icardi, but the player’s unwillingness to speak out against his agent.
The decision was taken by manager Luciano Spalletti and the club, and it was also confirmed that Icardi would not travel with the squad to Austria to take on SK Rapid Wien in the Europa League.
La Gazzetta Dello Sport claim Spalletti and the club bosses have been unhappy by Nara’s recent comments and were unimpressed to hear the football agent weigh in on Ivan Perisic’s possible transfer to Arsenal.
It is also claimed Icardi has grown increasingly distant from the team in recent weeks, which has raised doubts about whether he is able to carry out his duties as captain.
Icardi has spent his entire senior career in Italy and moved to Inter from Sampdoria as a 20-year-old, and has a deal with the club that expires 2021.
The Argentine forward has been a prolific goalscorer for Inter, with 119 goals in 210 games for Inter.
