A key Inter Milan ace edges closer to a sensational January switch to Barcelona with advanced talks underway.
The 33-year-old center-back—fringe figure in Simone Inzaghi’s rebuild—craves regular minutes with the World Cup looming, making Barça’s overtures a perfect storm of ambition and necessity as Camp Nou faithful eye squad depth beyond Iñigo Martínez and Pau Cubarsí.
Mundo Deportivo flags Inter’s stance: no green light until they land Serie A replacements, turning this into a high-stakes transfer domino.
The player in question is Stefan de Vrij, the towering Dutch stalwart whose San Siro glory—Serie A titles, Champions League finals—fades into bench obscurity with contract expiry looming in June 2026 and no renewal whispers, relegating him behind Alessandro Bastoni and Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s axis amid sporadic cameos.
De Vrij’s aerial dominance, composure, and leadership tantalize Barça, who scout him alongside Koni de Winter and Juan Jesus as Christensen’s long-term successor, fitting Deco’s pragmatic winter blueprint without blockbuster fees.
Inter Milan eyes two domestic targets to plug the gap, paving De Vrij’s path once sealed.
Barça’s urgency burns: Ronald Araujo’s fitness roulette and squad fragility post-ACL woes scream for experience, with De Vrij’s 400+ elite games offering tactical nous and short-term ballast until Luka Vušković’s summer arrival.
Inter’s pragmatism aligns—no sentiment for a peripheral asset, especially with World Cup optics pressuring De Vrij’s Dutch recall under Ronald Koeman.
Financially savvy: minimal loan fee, wage split feasible amid Barça’s €1.5 billion debt dance.
January hinges on Inter’s shopping spree—success triggers De Vrij’s near-inevitable farewell, positioning Barcelona to pounce amid rivals like Nottingham Forest circling.
Culers salivate at the low-risk gamble: proven winner stabilizes the backline for La Liga glory and Super Cup glory in Saudi.
De Vrij’s Catalan leap promises grit, but timing remains the wildcard in this Serie A-La Liga crossover thriller.
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