Inter Sans Defensive Duo in Supercoppa, Search Continues | OneFootball

Inter have flown to Saudi Arabia without Francesco Acerbi and Benjamin Pavard, who have stayed in Milan to recover from their thigh injuries that have cost him multiple matches already, Il Giorno reports.

The recurring absences of the former are starting to concern the management, TuttoSport informs. An addition is more likely next summer, when the team will have the option of rescinding his contract, but the officials will be alert in January.

Simone Inzaghi prefers players who come in ready and won’t need grooming to succeed Acerbi, even better if already familiar with Serie A. Isak Hien is gaining support inside the club. His valuation has skyrocketed in a a year.

Atalanta acquired him for €9M plus add-ons last summer and ask for €30M now. It’d be the first major investment by Oaktree. The Nerazzurri could dangle a pair of youngsters, Valentin Carboni and Francesco Pio Esposito, to limit the disbursement.

The reigning Scudetto champions have been after Udinese’s Jaka Bijol for a while. They have earmarked Mario Gila too, but it’s tough to haggle with Lazio president Claudio Lotito.

Our Take on Inter and Acerbi

It has taken some patience and they have had some misses, although not loud ones yet, but they successfully developed Yann Aurel Bisseck. While the request by the coach is legitimate, they could go in the same direction and bring in a relatively cheap starlet, especially should they keep Stefan De Vrij. Oaktree has signaled they’ll prioritize youngsters, but the budget and cap for any single signing are up in the air.