Inter CEO Beppe Marotta is hoping that the club can complete a deal for Paulo Dybala this summer, though he isn’t certain that it will come.

Speaking at the L’Amico Atletico event, as reported by FCInterNews, Marotta opened up about the Nerazzurri’s pursuit of the 28-year-old, explaining that they’re going into the summer with the hope that he will play in an Inter shirt.

Dybala has been one of the names most prominently linked to Inter this summer, with the Argentine’s availability on a free transfer meaning that they could swoop in what would be one of the highest-profile deals of the summer in Serie A.

The club have not sent any overt signals that they expect the deal to happen, nor have the player and his representatives, although reports suggests that talks have been ongoing and that it is a very real possibility.

Marotta was honest, speaking candidly about the fact that Dybala is a target, but he didn’t give any indication that a signing was close or that the talks are at a particular stage.

“In sport, we sometimes must accept what I call little white lies,” he said. “But of course we’re hoping that Paulo Dybala can play for us.”

Asked what his favourite victory by the Nerazzurri has been, Marotta responded that “Every time you win something, it feels like it’s the best, but then you’re already looking to the next challenge.”

“This year winning the Scudetto would have been a real benchmark,” he went on, “unfortunately we didn’t succeed. We’re focused on next season, we set major goals for ourselves because the stature of this club forces us to think big.”

“Inter is among the greatest teams in world football,” he added.

On the disparity between the Premier League and Serie A right now, he said that “The gap is widening, our power has diminished.” We found ourselves unprepared when the turning point came, and stayed stuck in the patronage model of the 1990s.”

“In Milan there were the Moratti and Berlusconi families,” he continued, “today Inter and Milan have foreign owners who have brought money and a new business model.”

“So there was a gap that widened, we weren’t able to exploit the resources we have,” he added. “Now the top players move from Serie A to  play in other countries, this is why we need to rediscover the competitiveness, which can’t just be achieved through spending.”

“We also need to rely on competence and innovation,” he explained.