Federico Dimarco's Future Amid Champions League Clash

Inter’s night at the Bernabeu is about more than Real Madrid and the Champions League. It is also about Federico Dimarco and his future.

Contract talks in Madrid

While Simone Inzaghi’s side prepare to launch their European campaign on Spanish soil, Dimarco is not even in the squad. The wing-back stayed out through injury, a knee issue that has forced him to miss this glamour opener in Madrid.

Yet his presence is felt anyway.

Sky Sport Italia report that Dimarco’s agent, Arturo Canales, is in the stands at the Bernabeu this evening and has used the trip as a window to sit down in person with Inter’s new director of sport, Dario Baccin. Not a casual chat. A key meeting.

Dimarco recently made it clear he was still waiting for a formal proposal for a new deal. His current contract runs to June 2028, but his status inside the squad has changed dramatically since that agreement was signed.

He arrives at this negotiation from a position of real strength. The Italy international has just been named Serie A Player of the Season for 2025-26, a recognition of his transformation into one of the most decisive wide players in Europe. His performances, his assists, his leadership – all now demand a salary to match.

New power structure at Inter

For Inter, the timing matters too. Baccin has stepped up from long-time right-hand man to Piero Ausilio to become the club’s director of sport. This meeting in Madrid is part introduction, part statement: the new man in charge of the sporting area setting the tone with one of the dressing room’s key figures.

The Nerazzurri start their Champions League journey tonight without Dimarco and without Djed Spence, both sidelined. Kick-off at the Bernabeu is at 20.00 UK time (21.00 CEST), a heavyweight tie to open the group stage.

On the pitch, Inter chase an early marker in Europe. Off it, they are moving to lock down a cornerstone of their future. How quickly those two tracks align around Dimarco’s new contract will say plenty about the club’s ambitions in the seasons to come.