Dimarco Contract Talks Amid Inter's Champions League Ambitions

Inter travelled to Madrid chasing a statement start to their Champions League campaign. In the background, another battle quietly unfolded – this one over the future of one of their most important players.

Federico Dimarco did not make the squad for the opener against Real Madrid, sidelined with a knee issue and working in training with a support strap. Yet his name still hovered over the Bernabeu. Not on the teamsheet, but in the directors’ box.

Sky Sport Italia reported that Dimarco’s agent, Arturo Canales, was in the stands and used the trip as a chance for a face‑to‑face meeting with Inter’s new director of sport, Dario Baccin. No formal announcement, no fanfare. Just a crucial conversation at a decisive moment in the club’s planning.

Dimarco has been waiting. The Italy international recently made it clear he had yet to receive a proposal for a new deal, even though his current contract runs until June 2028. On paper, that expiry date gives Inter plenty of time. On the pitch, and in the balance of power, the situation looks very different.

The left-back is negotiating from a position of real strength. He was crowned Serie A Player of the Season for 2025/26, a campaign in which his influence on Inter’s title charge and trophy haul turned him from valued starter into outright cornerstone. The image of Dimarco posing at San Siro last May with the Coppa Campioni d’Italia and Coppa Italia trophies underlined exactly that: this is a player who has become one of the faces of the project.

Inter know it. So does he.

The Bernabeu, then, offered more than just a glamorous stage for the Nerazzurri’s European return. It gave Baccin an early, high-profile test in his new role. Having long served as Piero Ausilio’s right-hand man, Baccin has now stepped into the spotlight as director of sport, tasked with refreshing a winning squad while keeping its core intact.

Tying down Dimarco on improved terms sits near the top of that agenda. The club must balance financial realities with the message it sends to the dressing room and to the market. Reward your best, keep your leaders, protect your assets.

Inter walked out under the Bernabeu lights looking to launch another deep Champions League run. Up in the stands, the conversation around Dimarco’s contract hinted at something just as important: how firmly this team intends to hold on to the player who helped carry them here.