Former Milan manager Arrigo Sacchi has told Inter to forget about building an attack line which consists of Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez and Paulo Dybala.
Dybala is expected to join on a free after leaving Juve, while Inter are in talks with Chelsea over the signing of Lukaku just 12 months after his departure to west London.
Sacchi compared the strategy to Real Madrid Galacticos plan in the early 2000s which saw them go five seasons without winning a Champions League knockout match – and urged Inter to focus on balance.
He told Gazzetta dello Sport: “I have always said you don’t make teams with statues.
“I was at Real Madrid as director in 2004-05 and they asked me to coach [the team]. Do you know what the attacking line was?
“I’ll tell you: [David] Beckham, Raul, Ronaldo, [Zinedine] Zidane, [Luis] Figo. On the bench, the first reserves were [Fernando] Morientes and [Michael] Owen. It wasn’t a team, it was a film. But it lacked the plot.
“So I thanked the president but said no. To protect the defence you would have needed two holding players with bullet-proof vests. Teams always need balance.”
Sacchi said his primary concern regarding the attacking trio was that he feels they would be unwilling to sacrifice themselves for the team.
He added: “In modern football you need 11 players who are always active – in attack and in defence. You need to continually move, take part in the action, work together.
“It is only like this that you can consider winning the ball back quickly when the opposition has it.
“If you give up three players to the enemy, it means there are only eight in defence rather than 11: but how? Teams work of synchronised movements.
“The spirit of sacrifice and physical characteristics of the player are fundamental. I don’t believe, though I could be wrong, that Lukaku, Lautaro and Dybala have these qualities.”
The Nerazzurri’s perilous financial situation means any move for Lukaku would likely mean sacrificing a defender with Milan Skriniar, Alessandro Bastoni and Denzel Dumfries among those mooted for an exit.
While Torino’s Bremer, who was named Serie A Defender of the Year, has been linked with a move, a push for the Belgium forward in attack would likely result in a significant weakening of the defence.