Keita Balde left off Lazio's Supercoppa squad amid Juventus link

Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi has excluded star striker Keita Balde from his 23-man squad for Sunday's Supercoppa Italiana against Juventus, casting doubt over the 22-year-old's immediate future at the club.

Out of contract by the end of the 2017-18 campaign, Keita has drawn admiring glances from Italy's top clubs. Incidentally, Lazio's opponent in the Supercoppa made an offer for the Senegalese international in July.

However, the decision to leave him out has all but confirmed his time in the Italian capital is over. Keita hit back at Lazio on Twitter, claiming he's physically ready to play despite all the speculation.

"The lack of a call-up to the final of the Supercoppa has left me deeply saddened," he wrote on the social media website. "It is the first important match of the season, for which I had prepared and found myself ready. The club's decision, clearly unrelated to purely sporting reasons, has caused me psychological distress, and I don't know how to assess the consequences of that right now."

In a pre-match interview, Inzaghi admitted to concerns he had about Keita and whether he would've been in the right frame of mind to participate in the final.

Keita has an agreement in place with Juventus, according to Sky Sport Italia's Gianluca Di Marzio, but a deal between the two clubs has yet to be reached.

Inzaghi questioned Keita's attitude and commitment around this time last year, when the player withdrew from an early-season match against Atalanta because of a knee problem. The Italian manager wasn't convinced Keita's injury was that severe.

Keita went on to produce the best season of his career, scoring 16 goals in 31 Serie A appearances as the Biancocelesti finished in fifth place in Serie A.

Lazio qualified for the Supercoppa - an annual fixture between the league and cup winners - as the runner-up in last season's Coppa Italia final.