Inter are braced for a difficult summer which will see them obliged to slash costs, according to a report in the Italian media today.

Gazzetta dello Sport’s print edition said ‘austerity’ was the key word which emerged from Steven Zhang’s meeting with 35 Inter directors yesterday, including Beppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio.

Inter’s president guaranteed Suning would remain as owners but also asked for everyone to make a contribution to make the club more sustainable.

The Nerazzurri’s labour costs currently total €270 million and that is far too much for the club, given the loss in revenue following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Suning could ask Inter’s directors to give up various bonuses in their contracts related to sporting achievements and objectives being met, according to the Milan-based paper.

Antonio Conte did not attend yesterday’s meeting and nor did Inter’s players, but Zhang could well ask them to do the same thing when he meets them soon.

Inter need to pursue the policy of reducing their wage bill, which could lead to them seeking individual agreements with players; Zhang may ask players to spread their current salaries over more years, where possible.

Conte is now expected to hold talks with Zhang before next Saturday’s match at Juventus, despite Inter having a midweek game against Roma on Wednesday.

Inter will also need to make one or more sacrifices on the transfer market, with this report warning supporters to keep an eye on Marcelo Brozovic, Stefan de Vrij and Milan Skriniar.

In the meantime, Inter are due to give their accounts some much needed oxygen with the €250 million financing deal which will arrive soon.

The club will receive €200 million directly, which will help them pay their outstanding salaries for this season.