Inter Milan manager Cristian Chivu says his side understand they will be “the team to beat” in Serie A this season, but insists he has no concerns about captain Lautaro Martinez’s future despite reports linking him with Barcelona.
Inter Milan begin their new Serie A campaign at home to Monza at San Siro on Saturday, with the match to be broadcast on stc.
“We start from zero, knowing that we are the team to beat,” Chivu said at his pre-match news conference. “Nobody will give us anything for free, so we will try to be competitive and chase our ambitions until the end.”
Inter Milan have consistently maintained a high level in recent seasons and Chivu believes they must now combine that consistency with further improvement.
“In recent years, this team has shown that it can maintain its level, so we need to keep that level and add more as well,” he added. “With determination, hunger and humility, and with the room for improvement that we have, I think we can do a great job.”
Asked which team he feared most in Italy or in European competition, the Romanian gave a firm response.
“Nobody,” he said. “We all start from zero, and we cannot be satisfied with what we have achieved. We have to find new motivation to continue improving. I do not think much has changed over one year.”
He added: “We were not finished then, and we are not guaranteed to dominate now. Every season has its highs and lows, and what matters is how you react.”
Reports in Spain, Argentina and Italy have increasingly suggested Barcelona want to sign Lautaro Martinez. The speculation has grown after Barcelona’s efforts to recruit Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid became more complicated.
Chivu, however, played down the significance of the reports and made clear how highly Inter Milan value their captain.
“There are always stories and news at this time of year,” he said. “We are happy to talk about our players, because it means they are seen as being among the best in the world.”
“Lautaro is our captain, he won the World Cup in 2022, and he was in the final a few weeks ago. He is a great player, and we are holding on to him strongly because he represents what we have been and what we want to be in the future.”
When asked whether he and Inter Milan had guarantees that Barcelona would not persuade Martinez to leave, Chivu said: “I fear nothing. Lauti is the captain. There may be a lot of talk about him, but I think he will stay for a long time because he is a player we want to build the future with.”
He added: “I also know that the transfer market can be a little difficult, so the only answer I can give is that I want him to stay.”
Inter Milan have made several changes to their squad during the summer transfer window. Denzel Dumfries has left the club, while Djed Spence was brought in from Tottenham after a number of other deals failed to materialise.
The club have also added several players from the Premier League, including John Stones and Curtis Jones.
“Our duty is to improve and continue preparing for the future,” Chivu said. “I will not deny that I spoke to Jones before he arrived, and I am happy to have him with us because he has some of the qualities we needed.”
“The same applies to Spence and Stones. They understand very well the importance of this club and the levels the team has reached in recent years. I am sure we will be able to raise the level even further with these new additions.”
Chivu also rejected direct comparisons between Spence and Dumfries, despite the former being signed as a replacement for the latter.
“It is not right to compare Spence with Dumfries, but we chose him because of his particular qualities,” he said. “He also has room for development, and he is joining a team that wants to dominate again.”
Serie A is available free on stc tv for customers using Baity Fibre, Postpaid 4 and Max, and Pro 4 and 5 packages.
