Fabrizio Romano cautioned in a recent video update that timing is critical: "The timeline on this deal is extremely important and shouldn't be underestimated. It's not a given that there's plenty of time left to sign Cristian Romero, that Inter can afford to wait until 20, 25 or 30 August.
"It's possible, you can't rule it out, but today the feeling is that other clubs abroad are starting to sense the opportunity to go and get him, especially after the exceptional World Cup he had following a difficult season with his English club. Inter are financially ready to close the deal, in the sense that Tottenham would accept the terms proposed a few weeks ago.
"The player has shown willingness to join Inter, on the same financial terms as Tottenham, six million including bonuses. Now it's down to Inter; Oaktree have to decide whether to give the green light, with player sales still very much a factor. For the green light, those pieces need to fall into place together."
Elsewhere, the fee itself is reported at €40m including bonuses, with Romero in line for a four-year deal worth around €5.5m a season; everything is verbally agreed, but Inter Milan are waiting on a significant departure before pushing the deal through, not necessarily Pavard.
That departure is where things get complicated. Coach Cristian Chivu and the club's hierarchy see Pavard less as a straight makeweight and more as someone who could still be redeployed, potentially on the right flank in a less advanced, Darmian-style role rather than as a genuine wing-back, a position where Pavard has previous experience.
The Frenchman played five games on the right flank last season and even set up a goal at Le Havre; Simone Inzaghi rarely used him wide, but at Bayern in 2022-23 he made 20 appearances there and scored three goals, and the year before that, still in Germany, he featured 23 times out of 36 official matches in that role, having initially established himself in Europe as a genuine full-back, starting 35 of 36 games at right-back in 2020-21.
Pavard could yet stay and take on a jolly role between full-back and midfield currently occupied by Luis Henrique and Diouf, rather than leaving outright, complicating the picture further for Inter's hierarchy.
Away from the Romero saga, Francesco Pio Esposito addressed his own situation and the season ahead in an interview with Sky Sport.
Asked about last season, in which he arrived from Serie B, he said: "We went beyond expectations last year, I came from Serie B and I'm happy with how my first season at Inter went."
On his target for the new campaign, he added: "The goal is to never be satisfied, to never stop, and to always try to improve, both in terms of statistics and as a footballer in general."
Asked directly about a new contract, he played it down: "I'm completely relaxed, I feel great here at Inter, it's something my agent discusses with the club, there's no problem at all."
On pre-season itself, he said: "We're preparing and working hard, the games against Milan and Juventus will be important tests to challenge ourselves. It's always brilliant to play a derby, and even though it's a friendly, we'll approach it seriously." On the team's ambitions, he was direct: "We're a strong team and we'll play to win again this year too."
Looking ahead to international recognition, he added: "First I need to prove myself with the club, then I hope to get the chance to prove something with the national team too, because the Azzurri shirt means a huge amount to me."
Asked about being reunited with Aleksandar Stankovic this season, he said: "We've played together since we were 11, it was fantastic to be back together. I spoke to him during the summer and kept asking if he'd come back, it's a beautiful thing, something we dreamed about as kids."