Sporting president Bruno De Carvalho has reiterated his stance on Joao Mario amid reports Inter were close to signing the Portuguese midfielder.

The Nerazzurri were believed to be in the running to sign the 23-year-old having observed his impressive displays during Portugal’s recent Euro 2016 triumph.

But De Carvalho has adamantly rejected reports Joao Mario could leave the club this summer, telling O Jogo: “I understand he is a player who is much appreciated but I want to reiterate our position.

“We do not sell our best players, we have a clearly defined project here. The fact may be that clubs are interested in Joao Mario, but that does not concern us.

“I hope that in a week’s time, when we start preparing, the coach will have all of his players available.”

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.