Serie A is a pathetic league. Most countries in Asia pay for the rights to the EPL, La Liga, and even The Bundesliga in some cases before considering Serie A. A shitty brand and a horrible product, and that impacts us greatly. The best players want money and exposure, and those are things Serie A, in its current state, can't afford them. Gone are the days when guys like Maradona, Platini, and Van Basten came running to this league. I long for those days, and for Serie A to crush the rest of the continent, but until some competent heads take control of the federation, it is all but a pipe dream, and until then, ambitious players will leave the league and seek greener pastures.
As for us improving over last year, I'm not so sure. We won the double last year, and reached the CL Final in 2015. Some would even argue that 2015 was a better/more rewarding season overall. At this point, and assuming Pogba leaves, the squad is weaker, and even if we win Serie A (which isn't much of an achievement these days tbh), the true benchmark of our progress lies in the CL.