Inter Milan CEO Beppe Marotta has confirmed that the Nerazzurri are interested in Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini and Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi.
Speaking to Italian Broadcaster Radio Anch’io Lo Sport, via FCInterNews, the CEO also talked about the upcoming Champions League final against Manchester City.
Atalanta defender Scalvini and Sassuolo midfielder Frattesi look to be two of Serie A’s big young breakout talents.
Naturally, this has led to interest from bigger clubs in signing the pair.
Inter have been foremost among the clubs linked with both over the past few months.
Moving for the pair would certainly be ambitious. Neither is likely to come cheap given their quality and the emerging interest, from Serie A and around Europe.
However, both could represent important investments to build the future of a team like Inter around.
Nerazzurri CEO Marotta has confirmed that both are in fact targets.
Marotta Confirms Inter Milan Tracking Scalvini & Frattesi
Asked about links to the pair, Marotta began “We’re in a global context, and so our scouting and monitoring of players must also have a European and global reach.”
“But I still have to underline the quality of Italian football, which is at the highest level.”
“Frattesi and Scalvini are very interesting to us, as are some other players,” he said.
“Yesterday we saw a good performance from the Italy Under-20’s,” Marotta remarked, of the Azzurri’s 3-2 win over Brazil.
“These young players are being tracked by big clubs, and I won’t deny that Inter also have our eyes on them,” he said of Scalvini and Frattesi. “But then there’s also the matter of negotiations, and at the moment there’s nothing in that regard.”
Marotta: Man City Stronger But Inter Milan Can Play For It In UCL Final
The Inter CEO then looked ahead to the Champions League final against Juventus.
“In sport you have to play for every competition until the end,” he said.
“We have great respect for and fear of City, they’re a colossus in terms of finances and technical quality,” he admitted. “But we’re prepared to go up against an opponent who’re stronger than us by putting our motivation, attachment to the shirt, and organization out there.”
Asked if facing the Cityzens is like when Juventus faced Barcelona and Real Madrid in Champions League finals when he was with the Bianconeri, Marotta replied that “With Juventus we went up against the strongest possible expression of football.”
“At the time, that was Barcelona and Real Madrid.”
“City are now a football powerhouse,” Marotta noted. “They have enormous purchasing power, worth almost €800 million.”
“They have the best players in Europe,” the Inter CEO admitted of City. “But that’s the beauty of football, the fact that we’re participating in this final gives us tremendous motivation.”
Marotta Reiterates Criticism of Rescheduling Of Atalanta Clash
The Inter CEO also reiterated his criticism of the rescheduling of next weekend’s Serie A match against Atalanta.
“We’re conditioned by a very powerful interest in the form of television rights,” he said.
“Three games in six days means putting player safety at risk,” he continued, doubling down on criticism of the movement of the Atalanta match to Saturday, just three days after facing Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia.
“Broadcasters understandably plan based on the audience, but there has to be a middle ground,” he added.
Marotta was then asked about the new-look Italian spine of this Inter team.
“I think this is the way to go,” the Nerazzurri CEO said.
“The enhancement of the Italian product is necessary,” he continued.
“We express great values as players, coaches, referees, directors,” Marotta suggested.
He then argued that “The most important investments are in training centres. Accordingly, it’s obvious that the relationship between the FA and clubs has to be even stronger, because Italian talent can compete with their peers from all around Europe.”
Future Of Romelu Lukaku At Inter Still Uncertain
Marotta then fielded a question about the future of striker Romelu Lukaku.
“Lukaku’s prerogative is that he loves the shirt he wears and he wants to stay with us,” the CEO made clear.
“But he’s only here on loan,” Marotta noted. “He’ll go back to Chelsea and we don’t yert know what they want to do. Let’s see what happens.”
Marotta also spoke about the future of coach Simone Inzaghi.
“You can’t evaluate a season based on just one match in Istanbul,” he made very clear.
“Reaching the Champions League final is a source of great prestige and value,” Marotta noted. “Inzaghi fully deserves to be in this match.”
“Our evaluation of him is extremely positive,” he said of the coach.
“There was a moment where things weren’t going well, and so the questioning became more intense,” Marotta noted. “But always in a proactive manner.”
“Inzaghi has shown that he’s up to the role,” the CEO made clear. “His work is positive, and this is recognized by everyone within the club.”
Marotta Hints At Possible Of Charitable Logo On Inter Shirt In Istanbul.
The Inter CEO also responded to a question regarding whether Inter could have the logo of a charitable foundation on their shirts in the Champions League final next month.
“In reality, our corporate arm is in negotiations with various companies,” he said. “I don’t know if anything will be finalized by June 10 though.”
“The UEFA regulations don’t allow for the logo of a company, except if it’s a charitable venture,” he noted.
“A negotiation is underway but I’d rather not say what it could be,” Marotta added.
