Inter's Champions League Opener: Dimarco's Contract Negotiation
At the Bernabeu tonight, Inter’s Champions League opener comes with a subplot that could shape their medium-term future as much as the result on the pitch.
Dimarco absent, but central to Inter’s plans
Inter land in Madrid without Federico Dimarco and Djed Spence, both sidelined through injury, for a Group Stage curtain-raiser against Real Madrid that kicks off at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST). Dimarco has been working with a support strap around his knee in training and plays no part in Simone Inzaghi’s matchday plans.
Yet his name still dominates the Inter conversation.
High in the stands, away from the noise of the warm‑up and the cameras sweeping across the Bernabeu, Dimarco’s agent Arturo Canales has taken his seat. Not just to watch. To work.
Sky Sport Italia report that Canales has used the trip to Madrid to sit down in person with Inter’s new director of sport, Dario Baccin, to discuss a fresh contract for the Italy international.
A negotiation from a position of power
Dimarco’s current deal runs until June 2028. On paper, there is no immediate rush. On the pitch, there is every reason to move quickly.
The left-back was named Serie A Player of the Season for 2025/26, a recognition that underlines his transformation from promising academy product to one of Inter’s true reference points. That award gives him leverage. So does his status in the dressing room and his importance in Inzaghi’s system.
He has already made it clear he is waiting for a concrete proposal from the club. The message from the player’s camp is simple: his performances have outgrown his existing terms. Tonight’s meeting in Madrid, with the Champions League anthem as a backdrop, marks the first serious step toward addressing that.
New director, familiar priorities
For Inter, the timing is about more than convenience. It is also about continuity.
Baccin has just stepped up into the role of director of sport, replacing Piero Ausilio after years as his trusted right-hand man. One of his first major dossiers is a symbolic one: securing the future of a player who lifted both the Scudetto and Coppa Italia last season and posed with the Coppa Campioni d’Italia and Coppa Italia trophies at San Siro in May.
Locking in Dimarco on improved terms would send a clear signal that, even in a period of internal reshaping, Inter intend to keep their core intact and reward those who drive their success.
So while the Bernabeu floodlights shine on 22 players this evening, one of Inter’s most important battles may be taking place in the shadows of the directors’ box. The outcome will not decide the group table, but it may say plenty about how strongly Inter plan to build around their Serie A Player of the Season in the years to come.
