Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder has rejected an offer from Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg, he was quoted as saying Tuesday.
Inter coach Claudio Ranieri has previously suggested that Sneijder could leave the club, saying that he is not sure how he fits into Inter’s tactics.
“They were prepared to go really far, nothing was wrong with the offer,” Sneijder told Dutch newspaper Voetbal International.
“However, I didn’t think it was the right moment to leave Inter.”
Ranieri, who is the subject of speculation that he may be fired after losing five games in his last six, told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport on Sunday that playing Sneijder alongside two strikers left a gap in midfield, posing a tactical problem.
“Sneijder is not a problem for Inter though, but a solution instead. We will have to use him at the right moment,” he said.
Sneijder was a key member of the Inter side that won the Champions League, Italian Serie A and Coppa Italia in 2010, but has played in only 12 of Inter’s 24 league games this season, scoring one goal.
Sneijder, 27, also helped the Dutch national side to the 2010 World Cup final, where they lost 1-0 to Spain. He has 80 caps for the Netherlands, scoring 23 goals.
