Aleksandar Stankovic: Ready to Fight for Place at Inter
Aleksandar Stankovic has made his choice clear: he wants to stay at Inter and battle for a place in Cristian Chivu’s midfield, despite the club weighing up a sale or another loan move.
The 21-year-old, son of treble hero Dejan Stankovic, is not interested in leaving again, Gianluca Di Marzio reports. Not even temporarily. Not even with the competition stacked against him.
From academy product to €23m buy-back
Stankovic grew up in the Nerazzurri academy, carrying a famous surname and the expectations that come with it. Inter then sold him to Club Brugge last summer, a move that looked like a clean break at the time.
He turned that into a platform.
In Belgium, the midfielder impressed enough to change minds back in Milan. Inter triggered their buy-back clause, paying a reported €23m to bring him back to San Siro after a standout season that pushed him into the conversation as one of Europe’s most promising young midfielders.
A crowded, ruthless midfield
Now comes the hard part.
Chivu’s midfield is already loaded. Italy regular Nicolo Barella and Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu remain 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 serious: Petar Sucic, Piotr Zielinski, and the evergreen Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who signed a contract extension earlier this summer. Add Andy Diouf, tested as a right wing-back in pre-season but capable of operating inside, and the picture becomes even more complicated for a 21-year-old trying to break through.
That congestion sparked talk inside and outside the club: cash in on Stankovic now for a quick profit, or send him on loan again to guarantee minutes in 2026-27.
“Loan” not in his plans
Stankovic has pushed back on that idea.
According to Di Marzio, the midfielder has made it known he wants to remain at Inter this season and compete directly for a role in Chivu’s rotation, even with Jones arriving. No loan. No detour. He wants the fight in front of him, not a softer landing elsewhere.
For Inter, it sets up a clear decision. They either trust the €23m investment and give one of Europe’s brightest young midfielders a genuine shot, or they turn a quick profit and move on.
For Stankovic, it’s simpler. He has chosen the hardest road at one of the hardest midfields to crack in Europe. Now Chivu must decide whether there’s room for another Stankovic story at San Siro.
