Inter CEO Beppe Marotta feels that the speculation about the Nerazzurri’s possible interest in Juventus forward Paulo Dybala is premature.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster SportMediaset before the Nerazzuri’s Champions League round of sixteen second leg against Liverpool, the executive stressed that for now the club’s focus is on the pitch, and transfer opportunities will come later.
Inter have been linked with a possible move for Dybala on a free transfer with the Argentine reportedly struggling to agree on a contract extension with the Bianconeri.
This would be a major transfer between two top Serie A rivals, and has attracted significant speculation and rumours in the media.
However, both Inter and Juventus have more urgent matters in front of them in the form of crucial matches in the season, with the Nerazzurri heading into a must-win knockout clash with Liverpool this evening which will determine their fate in Europe.
“Right now there’s an end to the season which sees us busy on all fronts,” Marotta said when asked about links with Dybala. “We’re completely focused on these competitions, we’ll focus on the transfer market in due time.”
Of what progression in the Champions League would mean, the executive stated that “We’re certainly talking about business, but we’re also talking about an obligation on our part to believe we can do it all the way.”
“We want to give satisfaction to these wonderful fans who have come all this way,” he went on, “it will be difficult but we want to believe in it.”
Of the presence of President Steven Zhang at the match, he said that “There’s a team on the pitch and another off of it.”
“His being here is a proof of his love for the team, it gives a very strong sense of belonging, we all have to work together to create a strong team and keep believing,” he said.
Of the Nerazzurri’s Scudetto pursuit, Marotta said that “The second star is certainly a goal, though an ambitious one. But Milan are also among the favourites, they always have been and they are today.”
On the lessons that the team took from the first leg at the San Siro, Marotta said that “It taught us that in football the team who play better don’t always win.”
“We didn’t deserve to lose 0-2 but a top-quality team like this will punish you for any lapses in concentration,” he went on.
“In our growth process it’s also necessary to analyze these matches,” the executive emphasized, “experience plays an important role in these matches. It’s only natural that we evaluate our mistakes so that we can improve.”
“Liverpool are among the strongest teams in the world,” Marotta went on. “Klopp started a winning cycle beginning from the bottom, it took a few years.”
“We’re back in the knockout round of the Champions League after ten years and we’ve already climbed a step,” he continued, “now we have to grow and improve our performances.”
He explained that “The owners’ desire is to return to the rounds that we haven’t been in for some while, but it will take time.”
And of coach Simone Inzaghi, Marotta said that “He arrived at Inter very carefully, inherited a team who’d won the Scudetto, and it wasn’t easy.”
“Today he’s the leader of this team for all intents and purposes,” Marotta added, “we’re in three competitions, we’ve won the Supercoppa. We’re very happy, and he’s very happy to be with us.”
