Inter's Summer Strategy: Stankovic Stays, Romero Talks Stalled
Inter have sent a message to the market this summer, and it is anything but subtle. When Brentford arrived with €40 million on the table for Filip Stankovic, the answer from Milan was short and decisive.
No.
No debate, no internal split, no late-night reconsideration. As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport, the club, the player, and the Stankovic family all landed on the same stance: the Serbian youth international is not leaving.
Stankovic, from Brugge revelation to Calhanoglu’s heir
Stankovic returns to Inter after a breakout year at Club Brugge, where he played a central role in their Jupiler Pro League title run and collected Belgium’s Young Player of the Year award. That kind of season usually turns a promising youngster into a saleable asset. For Inter, it has done the opposite.
The reason sits on Cristian Chivu’s tactics board.
Across pre-season, the Romanian coach has been carving out a very specific role for Stankovic in his five-man midfield. He is not just another body in the rotation. He is being shaped as the first and most trusted deputy to Hakan Calhanoglu at the base of midfield.
Inter have spent the last seasons trying to solve that particular puzzle. Piotr Zielinski has been tested there. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has dropped deeper. Nicolo Barella has been asked to adapt his game. Each solution worked in flashes, but never quite delivered the same blend of control, rhythm, and defensive balance Calhanoglu offers.
Stankovic, in Chivu’s eyes, does.
Technically secure, tactically obedient, and comfortable dictating from deep, he offers what the staff consider a natural fit in that regista role. Around Appiano Gentile, the word is that the trust in him is “unconditional”. Inter are treating him not as a chip to cash in, but as a piece to protect.
By refusing Brentford’s offer, Chivu keeps what he views as his tactical insurance policy for a long, crowded season. League, Europe, domestic cups: somewhere along that road, Calhanoglu will need a breather, or miss time. Inter do not want to discover in March that they sold the one player groomed to step in.
Curtis Jones admiration meets a crowded midfield
That decision, though, has consequences elsewhere.
Inter’s admiration for Liverpool’s Curtis Jones has not cooled. Chivu is a strong admirer of the English midfielder’s energy and versatility, and within the club he is seen as an ideal addition to raise the technical and athletic level of the squad.
But there is a simple problem: there are too many midfielders.
With Stankovic retained and the central zones already heavily populated, a move for Jones would require exits. The board know it, the coaching staff know it, and Liverpool certainly do. For now, Inter’s interest is real but boxed in by numbers and balance sheets.
The club’s stance is clear: they will not rush to sell one of their most promising youngsters just to create space. Not after turning down €40 million. Any midfield reshuffle will have to be carefully engineered, not improvised.
Romero, the missing piece at the back
If the midfield is a puzzle of bodies and roles, defence is where Inter are hunting pure pedigree.
Cristian Romero has become the primary target. Inside the club, the Argentine is viewed as the final piece in a back line built to compete with Europe’s elite. Aggressive, combative, and vocal, he offers the kind of edge Inter believe they still lack in the biggest nights.
On the club-to-club front, the heavy lifting has already been done. President Giuseppe Marotta and sporting director Piero Ausilio have worked through the numbers with Tottenham Hotspur and, according to reports, reached an agreement on the transfer fee. The major obstacle between Inter and Romero is no longer the price.
It is the pay packet.
Romero is asking for a salary in the region of €7 million per season. Inside Inter’s wage structure, that figure raises alarms. Benjamin Pavard currently sits at around €5 million, and pushing significantly beyond that level risks unsettling a carefully managed hierarchy in the dressing room and on the balance sheet.
The negotiations have therefore hit a temporary stalemate. Inter want Romero. Romero is open to the move. But neither side has yet taken the decisive step to bridge the gap on wages.
Strategic patience – with a cost
Taken together, Inter’s moves this summer sketch a clear strategy.
They are no longer the club that automatically cashes in on every young talent with a big offer attached. The Stankovic-Brentford saga proves that. At the same time, they are still reaching for established, global-level players such as Jones and Romero to refine a squad that already sits near the top of Serie A.
That combination demands patience and precision.
The deadlock over Romero’s salary, the congestion in midfield, and the refusal to sacrifice Stankovic all point to the same conclusion: the final weeks of this window will be tight, tense, and creative. Inter may yet need a major outgoing to unlock the last big move.
For now, the message is firm. The door is shut on Stankovic. The door is half-open for Romero. And somewhere between those two positions lies the true measure of how ambitious – and how bold – Inter are prepared to be this season.
