Inter head into the new Serie A season with genuine momentum after closing out an unbeaten preseason with a 1-0 friendly win over Real Betis in Bari. New signing John Stones, one of the last arrivals of a busy summer window, marked his debut with the only goal, turning home a Dimarco free-kick eight minutes from time. It was a fitting end to a preseason that also produced wins over Juventus, Aasen, and Karlsruhe, plus draws against Manchester City and Milan.

The squad Cristian Chivu takes into the new campaign looks notably different from the one that won the Scudetto. Denzel Dumfries has left for Real Madrid, and Djed Spence has been confirmed as his replacement after a deal with Tottenham was finalised on the eve of the Betis match. The English wing-back brings different qualities to the role, and the club is under no illusion that he is a like-for-like swap. Davide Frattesi has also departed, joining Lazio on loan with an option to buy after a move that was briefly blocked by Serie A before both clubs reworked the terms. His farewell message pointed to a player whose time at Inter never fully delivered on its early promise.

A pursuit of Cristian Romero ended without success, with the Tottenham defender moving to Atletico Madrid instead, leaving Chivu's defensive options slightly short of what had been planned. Lautaro Martinez, meanwhile, has been linked with Barcelona but remains at the club, and both he and Marcus Thuram are racing to be fit for the Serie A opener against Monza at the Giuseppe Meazza on August 22.