Inter are prioritizing moves for Borussia Dortmund’s Manuel Akanji and Chelsa’s Trevoh Chalobah over Lazio defender Francesco Acerbi because of both their younger age and greater tactical versatility.
This according to today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, who report that the Nerazzurri are not just thinking of the duo’s age but also their positional profile and the versatility that they could give to the squad in considering them as the ideal targets for the defense.
Acerbi would be the same age as Andrea Ranocchia, the player he would replace at Inter if he arrives before the end of the transfer window, and in this respect it is understandable why the club would prefer to inject youth into the team rather than signing a 34-year-old veteran.
This is not the only consideration for the club, however, as they also feel that the Lazio defender would only really be able to directly replace Ranocchia as a like-for-like backup to Stefan de Vrij at the heart of their back three.
Akanji and Chalobah, by contrast, could be capable of filling in for Milan Skriniar on the right as well, giving the team more options in rotating the backline and allowing the Slovakian to fill in in the centre of the back three if need be.