Lazio sporting director Igli Tare has said that he is extremely confident that star striker Miroslav Klose will continue his stay in Italy with the club.

German striker Miroslav Klose has been a huge success at Lazio this season. He has helped the club challenge for a Champions League spot for most of the campaign, although they failed to qualify at the last moment.

They ultimately finished the season in the fourth position – three places ahead of their arch rivals Roma. Despite coming to the end of his career, Miroslav Klose has been a huge influence on the Roma team. This has led to speculation that he will be once again the target of many top European clubs, including England's Tottenham.

Igli Tare, though, has rejected speculation that the club will be willing to sell the player for a sizeable profit. Miroslav Klose has scored 13 goals in just 27 league matches for Lazio this season. He missed a large chunk of the portion due to injury, which ultimately resulted in Lazio missing out on the Champions League spot. Despite not playing in the high-profile European competition next season, Igli Tare has expressed his confidence at being able to keep a number of high profile players including Klose.

"Klose will remain at Lazio. He has two years left in his contract and he is happy to remain at the Biancoceleste club," Tare told a free betting website.

Meanwhile, Lazio have announced that they will have a new manager at the helm next season. Vladimir Petkovic will now replace Edy Reja, who has come under intense pressure in the last couple of weeks.

"Vladimir Petkovic is the new Biancocelesti coach," read a statement on the official website of Lazio. After missing out on the Champions League, Edy Reja announced that he would be leaving the club.