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Lazio coach Stefano Pioli insists Miroslav Klose was left out of the squad to face Varese in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday night due to a back injury, but the striker's absence has only increased speculation that he will be leaving the Serie A club this winter. Klose, 36, told Germany's Bild newspaper on Tuesday that he would not rule out leaving the club this winter due to his lack of playing time under Pioli. The World Cup winner has started only four times in Serie A this season and he spoke to the Bild after playing only the final seven minutes of the 0-0 draw with Cesena last weekend. "I feel fit and healthy and that is why I want to be playing more," he said. "I'm definitely not happy with the current situation because I have other sporting ambitions. I'm now going to seek talks with Lazio bosses and we'll see where things go from there. Anything is possible. Nothing can be ruled out in football." Klose has been linked with a return to his first professional club Kaiserslautern in the German second division, but he may also be an attractive option to several of Lazio's Serie A rivals such as Inter Milan as they search for an experienced attacker for the second half of the season. According to Pioli, though, Klose was unable to play in the Coppa Italia due to injury and should be back in contention to start soon. "He's not been excluded, he was meant to play but he felt some pain in his back after training," Pioli said to RAI television. "So he wasn't available. It's nothing serious and I hope he recovers immediately and is available for Sunday. "There's no issue with him. It's obvious that everybody wants to play, and he's a champion so it's only right that he wants to be on the field more, but I make the best decisions for the team. He's still a champion and provides added value to our team."
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