Fresh off their Serie A title triumph, Inter Milan are already planning for next season, with young Italian talents Marco Palestra and Giovanni Leoni emerging as key targets in Chivu’s summer rebuild.
Inter Milan may have only just sealed the Scudetto, but the Nerazzurri hierarchy are already looking ahead to the next phase of their project as club president Beppe Marotta prepares a summer rebuild centered on youth, identity and long-term sustainability.
Speaking after Inter wrapped up their 21st Serie A title, Marotta made it clear that the champions want to reinforce Cristian Chivu’s squad with a stronger Italian backbone, targeting the country’s best emerging talents while balancing that with experienced winners from abroad.
One of the standout names at the top of Inter’s shortlist is Marco Palestra. The highly rated wing-back, currently on loan at Cagliari from Atalanta, has been monitored by the Nerazzurri for months and is viewed internally as an ideal long-term successor should Denzel Dumfries depart this summer.
L’Inter farà di tutto per arrivare a Marco Palestra, andare a trattare con l’Atalanta sarà complicatissimo. C’è stato uno switch, quando l’Inter ha deciso di andare su Palestra: la partita in Bosnia con la Nazionale e l’ultima partita contro l’Inter @GuarroPas pic.twitter.com/p9IrxyxSyh
— Angelo (@Ang_2699) May 4, 2026
Palestra checks every box for Marotta’s blueprint: young, Italian, dynamic and tactically adaptable. The only complication is the price. Atalanta are believed to value the 20-year-old at around €40 million, and growing Premier League interest could make negotiations increasingly difficult for Inter.
Another player firmly in Inter’s sights is Giovanni Leoni, a defender the club admired heavily before Liverpool moved ahead to sign him last year. That interest has only intensified now that Cristian Chivu is in charge, having worked closely with Leoni during his spell at Parma and built a strong relationship with the teenager.
Leoni’s first season after leaving Italy was disrupted by a serious injury suffered in September, but Inter remain convinced of his enormous potential. Should Liverpool be open to a loan or permanent discussion, the Serie A champions are expected to move quickly in an effort to bring him back to familiar surroundings.
