Italian international has made it clear he wishes to remain at San Siro.
AC Milan star Stephan El Shaarawy has dismissed speculation linking him with Manchester City, stating that he wishes to remain at San Siro for the foreseeable future.
The 20-year-old has been linked with the switch to Etihad over the past few days, with rumours suggesting either a €40m bid, or a cash plus player deal involving Carlos Tevez.
However, the Italian international has made it clear that he has no desire to leave the club and hopes to build on what was overall a successful first full season with the Rossoneri.
“I really don’t think I will be leaving Milan. I’m flattered if City really want me, but I want to stay at Milan,” he told La Repubblica
“I’m really happy with the Rossoneri and I feel very attached to the club.
“I’ve always felt total confidence in me at Milan on the part of everybody – the club, boss Massimiliano Allegri who launched and encouraged me, and my teammates.
Despite scoring 19 goals in 46 games for the club last year, El Shaarawy has received criticism more recently after the goals dried up in the second half of the season.
There were also doubts over his compatibility with Mario Balotelli, with the duo lacking a real understanding and threat when leading the line.
That in turn has produced speculation that the club may choose to offload him while they still can at such a hefty price tag.
However, given his age and inexperience of dealing with both the pressure and rigours of playing at such a high level, he will hope to bounce back next season and clearly hopes to be at Milanello come pre-season.
El Shaarawy is likely to be in action for the Azzurri at the Confederations Cup this month, having successfully broken into the national set-up under Cesare Prandelli. The youngster says he owes a debt of gratitude to Milan for helping him to achieve his ambitions, and will hope to get back to form as soon as possible.
The message is clear from former Rossonero Pippo Inzaghi, who believes that El Shaarawy should stay at Milan in order to continue to improve.
“He should stay. He can keep growing as a player here,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport, as reported by football-italia.net.
“An experience abroad could be important, but I always chose to remain close to home because when things get tough then your family and friends can help.”
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