Inter Milan were unsuccessful in defending their Serie A title as rivals AC Milan claimed their first Scudetto in over a decade.
The Nerazzurri will have to address some needs in Simone Inzaghi’s squad during the summer transfer window if they hope to reclaim their title in the upcoming season. But what are those needs and which players might they target to address them?
SBOTOP takes a closer look at Inter’s top summer transfer needs for the 2022-23 season.
Forward
Inter’s bid to defend their title last season took a major blow as the trio of Antonio Conte, Achraf Hakimi, and Romelu Lukaku all left the club last summer amid financial difficulties.
Inter brought in veteran striker Edin Dzeko on a free transfer from Roma to help fill the massive void left by Lukaku in the side, and all things considered, that move turned out to be a success.
Inter got about as much as they could have hoped from a 36-year-old Dzeko as he got 13 goals with 5 assists. However, the Bosnian faded badly later in the season; he failed to score in the last month and at times ceded his spot as Lautaro Martinez’s starting strike partner to Joaquin Correa.
With Dzeko’s age catching up to him and Correa not quite the calibre of starting forward needed by a legitimate title contender, Inter could certainly use another top striker who can contribute to a title chase from start to finish.
That striker could very well be Lukaku. The latest Serie A 2022 news suggests that Inter are in talks with Chelsea about bringing the big Belgian back on a loan deal.
While he disappointed on his return to the Premier League, returning to Inter and reuniting with Lautaro could very well bring the best out of Lukaku once again. The Belgian enjoyed two of the best seasons of his club career at Inter as he scored 47 Serie A goals and provided 13 assists in 72 appearances.
Aside from Lukaku, Inter have also been strongly linked with Paulo Dybala, who is available on a free transfer after opting not to extend his contract with Juventus.
The 28-year-old Argentine is a supremely talented forward who would be a fine alternative to Lukaku. Although, if the Nerazzurri could land both Lukaku and Dybala, their Serie A 2022 odds of reclaiming the title should get a significant boost.
Centre-back
Inter could very well have a big void to fill in the centre of their defence with Paris Saint-Germain reportedly pushing hard to sign Milan Skriniar.
The Slovakian has been a stalwart in the Nerazzurri’s defence since his arrival from Sampdoria in 2017. He has appeared in 172 out of a possible 190 Serie A matches over the last five years, which is a testament to his durability. He has also provided some much-needed strength and toughness alongside Stefan de Vrij and Alessandro Bastoni, which will be tough to replace.
Moreover, primary backups Danilo D’Ambrosio and Andrea Ranocchia are both well into their 30s now, so Inter could certainly do with signing a younger defender to replace the 27-year-old Skriniar if he does leave.
Torino’s Gleison Bremer, 25, and Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic, 24, have both been linked and would both fit the Nerazzurri’s need for a promising young centre-back with the physicality to help fill the significant void left by Skriniar.
Left wing-back
Inter have moved on from Ivan Perisic, who had been their regular left wing-back last season. The 33-year-old Croatian flourished in that role which he first played under Conte, and he had one of the most productive seasons of his career last year with eight goals and seven assists in 35 Serie A games.
But despite Perisic’s departure, that starting left wing-back spot is not that glaring of an issue for Inter as they already bought Perisic’s replacement last winter in Robin Gosens. The German international was arguably the best wing-back in Italy during his time at Atalanta, and after an injury-hit year, he will get his chance to establish himself as a key player at Inter.
Inter also have a few options at left wing-back currently on the squad. Federico Dimarco can fill in from time to time, and right-back Matteo Darmian can also switch over to the left side and do a decent job.
Although, they could still do with adding another option at the position for more depth, especially since the wing-back spots are so crucial to their system.
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