Inter Rejects €40 Million Bid for Stanković
Brentford made a lucrative offer for the 20-year-old Serb, but everyone in Milan, including the player and his family, gave a firm 'no'.
Brentford made a lucrative offer for the 20-year-old Serb, but everyone in Milan, including the player and his family, gave a firm 'no'.
Inter Milan has sent a clear message to the football market by rejecting a massive €40 million bid from Brentford for Aleksandar Stanković. The young Serbian international, son of club legend Dejan Stanković, returned to Milan this summer and, within just a few weeks, has become a central figure in the project being built by coach Cristian Chivu.
According to Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport, the club's response was unanimous and swift. Not only the management, but also the player himself and the Stanković family agreed to reject the offer from the English Premier League side. "No thank you," Italian media report the stance of all parties involved.
The decision is particularly significant given the financial arithmetic. Inter exercised their buy-back clause this summer, paying €23 million to bring Stanković back from Club Brugge, where he had been sold the previous year for €9.5 million. Brentford's offer, which arrived on August 5, 2026, was nearly double the amount Inter paid just a month earlier.
Stanković returned to San Siro after an impressive season with Club Brugge. In 55 appearances, he scored nine goals and provided five assists, while also finding the net twice in the Champions League. His performances did not go unnoticed, and interest from numerous European clubs culminated in Brentford's concrete bid.
However, Inter is determined that the 20-year-old midfielder represents an important part of the future. The coaching staff's plan is for Stanković to gradually receive more playing time and become the primary alternative to the experienced Hakan Çalhanoğlu in the deep-lying playmaker role.
During preseason, coach Cristian Chivu has been integrating Stanković into a five-man midfield system, viewing him as a natural solution for the role of Çalhanoğlu's deputy. Previous experiments with Piotr Zieliński, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and even Nicolò Barella in that position have yielded mixed results, making Stanković the tactical certainty for a long season.
"Finding a reliable alternative for Çalhanoğlu has been a priority for the coaching staff," the report states, and Stanković combines technical security with the tactical discipline that Chivu demands.
The decision to keep Stanković, however, creates a domino effect in the market. Inter remains interested in Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, but the midfield is currently overcrowded. On the other hand, the club is focused on bringing in Tottenham defender Cristian Romero, but negotiations have stalled over personal terms. Romero is demanding a salary of around €7 million per season, significantly higher than Benjamin Pavard's current €5 million wage.
President Giuseppe Marotta and sporting director Piero Ausilio have agreed on a fee with the London club but are cautious about disrupting the wage structure. The final weeks of the transfer window will be an exercise in strategic patience and creative accounting for Inter.
