Milan, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Aug, 2024) are heavy favourites to retain their Serie A title ahead of their opening match of the coming season at on Saturday, as their Scudetto rivals rebuild under new coaches. Simone Inzaghi's side cruised to a 20th league crown last term and, while the summer has brought a host of changes elsewhere, little has yet happened to suggest a clear challenger to Inter's supremacy. Change of ownership to US investment fund Oaktree, who took control of the club in after previous owners Suning defaulted on a huge , had initially suggested a period of uncertainty and potential upheaval.
Instead Oaktree kept on sporting and corporate CEOs Giuseppe Marotta and Alessandro Antonello -- also making Marotta club president -- and pushed ahead with important contract renewals which ensure on-pitch stability. Inzaghi and star midfielder Nicolo Barella have both signed new deals which commit their futures to the club while captain and last season's Serie A scorer Lautaro Martinez has extended his contract until 2029. Meanwhile Marotta has worked the free agent angle to bolster and midfield with Mehdi Taremi and Piotr Zielinski as Oaktree to stabilise the accounts of a financially leaky club.
- change - Inter are settled, which is more than can be said for their rivals, in particular who will be an unknown quantity under Paulo Fonseca. They have, however, kept hold of star men Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez and have signed Alvaro Morata as .