Former Inter and Bologna defender Paolo Stringara believes that Inter do not necessarily need to sign a like-for-like replacement for Andrea Ranocchia to reinforce their defensive depth this summer.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster TMW Radio, Stringara gave his thoughts on the Nerazzurri’s transfer window and suggested that the options that the Nerazzurri already have will be sufficient in defense, particularly if they can make use of younger players from the academy.

Inter have been linked with a move for a low-cost defender as their final signing of the transfer window, with the departure of Ranocchia who left on a free transfer for Monza leaving them without a natural backup option to Stefan de Vrij at the heart of the back three.

However, in Stringara’s view this would hardly be a necessary signing, as there are already a number of versatile and reliable defenders in the squad who can see out the season.

“I don’t think Inter need a replacement for Ranocchia,” he said. “D’Ambrosio and Dimarco can do well in the defensive roles. There are also many young players in the Primavera who could be relied upon.”

He added that “Inter have lost a lot with Perisic, but with Lukaku they’ve improved the attack a lot.”