Inter Milan GM Beppe Marotta insists sacking Mauro Icardi as captain had nothing with contract negotiations.

Icardi attended Inter's win over Sampdoria despite the controversy.

“I consider it a show of love for the club. There has never been great tension, other than the directors and Coach, who had to make a decision," Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.

“It was not a disciplinary matter against the lad, but rather a change that we considered better for the team, club and Icardi himself. It was not degrading for him, but sometimes these changes do have to be made.

“Icardi is only 25 years old, let's not forget, it's unfair to expect too much from him. We wanted to keep the culture of victory and winning mentality going, to cultivate it."

He added: "The armband is not just symbolic, the person who wears it must be considered a leader. We want to all grow together and eliminate certain toxins that had perhaps crept in during recent months.

“I read many things, but the contract has nothing to do with it. The negotiations will continue in the predicted time-frame and we will make our proposal at the right time, of course.

“This is a different situation, it has to do with the group dynamics, dealing with the club and dealing with the fans outside of the locker room.

“I told Wanda, as the player's representative, that we'll send a proposal over the next few weeks. There are some issues to be dealt with first and we must evaluate some figures. The contract has nothing to do with it."