Aleksandar Stankovic's Determination to Compete at Inter
Aleksandar Stankovic has made his choice. With Inter weighing up whether to cash in or send him out on loan, the 21-year-old has told the club he intends to stay, compete and carve out a place in Cristian Chivu’s midfield this season.
A €23m return and a crowded midfield
Stankovic’s story is already tightly bound to Inter. Son of treble hero Dejan Stankovic, he grew up in the Nerazzurri academy before being sold to Club Brugge last summer. That move looked like a step away from San Siro. It turned into a springboard back.
His performances in Belgium were strong enough to convince Inter to trigger their buy-back clause, paying a reported €23m to bring him home. One of the standout young midfielders in Europe last season, he returns to Milan with momentum and expectation behind him – but also with a serious battle on his hands.
Chivu’s midfield is stacked. Italy regular Nicolo Barella and Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu are locked in as starters. Curtis Jones is on his way from Liverpool in a €35m deal and is also expected to walk straight into the XI.
Behind them, the depth is just as fierce: Petar Sucic, Piotr Zielinski, the evergreen Henrikh Mkhitaryan – who signed an extension earlier in the summer – and the adaptable Andy Diouf, already tested as a right wing-back in pre-season. It is not a department built for patience with young hopefuls.
Profit or project?
Given that landscape, Inter’s hierarchy have explored their options. A sale this summer, at a profit on the €23m outlay, has been floated. So has a season-long loan to guarantee Stankovic regular minutes in 2026-27.
The logic is obvious. The path to the starting XI is narrow, and Inter are chasing trophies on multiple fronts. Chivu will lean on experience and proven internationals. For a 21-year-old, the bench can quickly become a trap.
Stankovic has pushed back.
According to the latest reports from Gianluca Di Marzio, the midfielder has made it clear he does not want a loan. Not even with Jones arriving. Not with so many big names ahead of him. He wants the fight at Appiano Gentile, not an easier route elsewhere.
A different kind of gamble
For Inter, it turns the situation into a different sort of bet. They brought him back because he proved in Bruges that he can handle senior football at a high level. Now he wants to prove he can handle the weight of the shirt his father once wore in its greatest era.
Pre-season has already given a glimpse of what he offers. Energetic, technically clean, comfortable in tight spaces – the profile fits the modern Inter midfield. The question is whether he can break through the traffic in front of him and convince Chivu he deserves more than cameo roles.
The club can still change course. An attractive offer could arrive, or circumstances in the squad could shift. For now, though, Stankovic has drawn his line: no loan, no early exit, just a straight fight for minutes at San Siro.
In a midfield full of established stars, his determination might be his sharpest weapon.
