After drawing interest from various clubs across Europe, Manuel Akanji is officially on his way out of Manchester to join Inter.
Akanji was at the centre of transfer speculation all summer as Pep Guardiola continues to overhaul his squad. The 30-year-old was previously linked with Galatasaray, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Milan, but it is Inter that won his signature in the end.
“The Swiss defender, born in 1995, has arrived on loan from Manchester City with an option to make the deal permanent, which will become an obligation if certain conditions are met,” Inter confirmed in their statement.
Sky Italia report the deal is worth an initial €2 million (£1.7 million; $2.3 million) fee. The deal includes a €15 million (£13 million, $17.5 million) purchase option, only mandatory if the Swiss international plays at least 50% of games or if Inter win Serie A.
Akanji’s exit comes after three seasons and seven trophies with Manchester City. The defender made 136 appearances in a sky blue shirt and featured at all four positions in Guardiola’s backline.
The former Borussia Dortmund man’s 2024–25 campaign was marred by injuries that caused him to miss 19 matches across all competitions. Despite recovering physically, Akanji was overlooked by Guardiola this season, not playing a single minute through Man City’s first three games.
Instead, the Spanish manager gave starts to John Stones, Rúben Dias and Abdukodir Khusanov at centre back in Man City’s opening fixtures of the 2025–26 Premier League season. The Cityzens have suffered back-to-back defeats against Tottenham and Brighton, though, conceding four goals along the way.
Akanji now has a chance for a fresh start in Italy under Cristian Chivu. Inter will welcome the defensive reinforcement after Benjamin Pavard’s move to Olympique Marseille. Plus, the Italian giants recently suffered a poor 2–1 defeat to Udinese at the weekend.
Man City have now parted ways with over 20 of their players since the start of the summer transfer window.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Manuel Akanji Snubs Milan in Last-Minute Man City Exit.
