Inter's Dimarco Contract Negotiations at Bernabeu

Inter are in Madrid to launch their Champions League campaign against Real Madrid, but the real manoeuvring began long before kick-off at the Bernabeu.

With the game set for 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST), the Nerazzurri arrived in Spain knowing they would be without injured duo Federico Dimarco and Djed Spence. Dimarco has been training with a support strap around his knee and stayed on the sidelines for this opening group fixture.

Yet his name still dominated the build-up.

Dimarco’s contract power play

Sky Sport Italia report that Dimarco’s agent, Arturo Canales, is in the stands in Madrid and used the trip as a chance to sit down directly with Inter’s new sporting director, Dario Baccin. Not a casual visit. A calculated one.

The meeting comes after Dimarco publicly pointed out that he was still waiting for a proposal on a new deal, despite his current contract running only until June 2028. For a player of his status, that delay grated.

He has every reason to push hard. The left-back was crowned Serie A Player of the Season for 2025/26, a campaign that ended with him posing at San Siro with both the Scudetto and Coppa Italia trophies in his hands. Few in this Inter squad arrive at the negotiating table with a stronger hand.

Inter, for their part, used the Madrid encounter to set the tone for a new internal era. Baccin, long-time right-hand man to Piero Ausilio, has now stepped into the main sporting director role. Handling the Dimarco dossier smoothly is an immediate, high-profile test of his authority.

So while the spotlight tonight falls on the Bernabeu pitch, one of Inter’s most decisive battles may already have been fought in the stands – over the future, value and status of Federico Dimarco.