Inter President Beppe Marotta assures Barcelona interest in Lautaro Martinez ‘isn’t even worth talking about,’ while the England internationals bring ‘experience and mentality.’
The opening fixture with Monza kicks off at San Siro at 17.30 UK time (18.30 CEST).
The Nerazzurri dominated Italian football last season, winning both the Scudetto and Coppa Italia relatively comfortably, but in turn had a shorter run than usual in the Champions League.
Marotta keeps raising the Inter bar
“We know that we must always keep raising the bar, aware that as reigning Champions of Italy, every opponent will face us with even more determination than before,” Marotta told DAZN Italia.
“We begin the new season with the same ambition and objectives, and reinforcing that culture of victory that has stood us apart in recent years.”
It was a remarkable achievement in Cristian Chivu’s first full campaign as a senior coach, but he is now building for the future with new arrivals including Djed Spence, Curtis Jones and John Stones.
Of the three England internationals, only the former Manchester City defender is on the bench today.
“We built this team several years ago with the aim of lasting for a long time, so we didn’t need big changes. This summer, we had to acknowledge the passage of time and sadly release some players who had been here for some years,” added Marotta.
“We added some professionals who in their totality won around 30 trophies. This confirms our objectives and motivation, because along with ability, that experience and mentality are also fundamental elements in modern football.”
Lautaro Martinez has been heavily linked with a potential €100m swoop by Barcelona over the last few days, but even the Spanish media are starting to realise it’s entirely implausible.
“First of all, Lautaro Martinez is our captain and represents the current history of Inter. So all I can say is that there simply aren’t the conditions in place for him to leave Inter,” replied Marotta.
“We have absolutely no intention of letting him go, in any way, shape or form. It’s not even worth talking about.”
Could there be any more new arrivals before the transfer deadline?
“We are keeping an eye on potential opportunities in the final phase of the transfer market, co-ordinated with the coach, and thanks also to the generosity of our owners. If there was the need to invest further, that would be possible, although it is already a very competitive squad,” concluded the Inter President.
