Inter's pre-season is being shaped by two pressing concerns: the confirmed absence of their first-choice strikers for the start of Serie A, and a transfer window that has repeatedly stalled. With Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram unavailable for the opening weeks of the campaign, coach Cristian Chivu will lean on younger options up front. Francesco Pio Esposito is the most likely candidate to lead the line against Monza, and the 1-1 pre-season draw with Milan in Perth offered early evidence of what that might look like. Esposito started alongside Jamal Iddrissou, with Ange-Yoan Bonny on the bench, and Chivu has made clear that at least one of those names will be central to Inter's early-season plans.

In the transfer market, Inter have struggled to replace Denzel Dumfries, who left for Real Madrid in June. Deals for Palestra, Khalaili and Spence all fell through, and the pursuit of Cristian Romero has grown complicated after the defender's preference for Atletico Madrid emerged, despite an earlier reported agreement of around 40 million euros with Tottenham. Inter have also held initial contact with Nico Gonzalez, with a potential swap involving Davide Frattesi and Juventus also being discussed. Moussa Diaby, previously tracked in January, has resurfaced as an option on the right flank, though his Saudi Arabian wages remain an obstacle.

Chivu has publicly called for reinforcements on the flanks, and with the season opener approaching fast, the club's ability to resolve those gaps before the window closes on September 1 will define much of Inter's early momentum.