The 20-year-old himself is refusing to join Brentford and insists he will only consider leaving if a top European club comes calling.
Marotta was speaking at the presentation of the Serie A calendar, addressing Stankovic's situation directly but without commitment.
"We exercised the buyback after he had a great season. Stankovic is an important player from a financial perspective — then we will see what his future will be.
"The objective of Inter is always to sign more important young players who can grow in terms of financial value and give us their contribution."
The words were widely interpreted as leaving the door open to a sale rather than closing it. Fabrizio Romano subsequently clarified that Stankovic's own position is unambiguous — he wants to stay in Milan and will fight for his place under head coach Cristian Chivu, who previously managed him in Inter Milan's youth system.
Brentford had approached Stankovic with a proposal, but the midfielder declined the destination outright. His conditions for any departure are specific: only a club of genuine European pedigree would prompt reconsideration.
Whether Chivu judges him ready for a regular first-team role at Inter after a single season at Brugge — where he made 55 appearances, scoring nine goals and providing five assists — will determine whether that decision is made for him or by him.