Inter eye Palestra and Liverpool’s Leoni in summer rebuild after Scudetto triumph

The name most readily associated with that approach is Marco Palestra. The winger is currently on loan at Cagliari from Atalanta and has long been admired by Inter, who face the potential departure of Denzel Dumfries this summer.

Palestra fits Marotta’s blueprint precisely, young, Italian, and highly rated. Prising him from Atalanta will not come cheap, however, with his valuation already reported at around €40 million.

Marotta acknowledged the difficulty himself. “Unfortunately he is not ours, but he is a player of great future,” he said. “Alongside young Italians, we will also target experienced foreigners capable of bringing a winning culture.”

With Premier League clubs keen on the Atalanta-owned wing-back, Inter could find themselves quickly priced out of a move, even after comfortably winning Serie A this season.

Giovanni Leoni is another name on the Nerazzurri’s radar.

Inter were keen on the teenage defender last summer before Liverpool moved quickly to sign him, and the connection runs deeper now that Chivu, who coached Leoni at Parma, is in charge at Appiano Gentile.

A serious injury sustained in September kept Leoni out for much of the season, and should Liverpool consider moving him on, Inter are expected to be among the frontrunners.

A return to Italy could be the sensible move for the youngster’s career, away from the pressures of the Premier League.

Leoni has spoken warmly of Chivu’s influence. “When he arrived at Parma we were in a bad way,” the defender said. “He is brilliant at building relationships with players. He would never speak badly of you publicly.”

On the departures side, Francesco Acerbi and Matteo Darmian are both set to leave, while the futures of Stefan de Vrij, also out of contract, and Dumfries remain unresolved. How Inter navigate those exits will go a long way to determining the scale of their summer recruitment.