Despite having agreed terms with coach Cristian Chivu until 2029 just a few days ago, the Inter hierarchy now finds itself with another kind of dilemma in the form of the contract renewals of two key defensive players, Yann Bisseck and Carlos Augusto. Although it seemed like the club were in the pole position following the resolution of the managerial situation, the negotiations with the two defenders have reached a stalemate and for obvious reasons: Financial and tactical ones.
Both players currently have a contract with the club until 2028, and so, Inter don’t have any immediate reason to hurry in their contract negotiations with either of the two defenders. However, the club hierarchy knows for a fact that if this issue lingers on for too long, it will be bound to catch the attention of rival clubs, and as it is, in the transfer market, standing still never leads to good news. Following many rounds of talks over the last few months, there has been no real progress in either situation.
When talking about Carlos Augusto, perhaps his situation is slightly trickier. The Brazilian left-footed defender arrived at the San Siro a couple of seasons ago and had shown good glimpses of quality whenever deployed on the pitch but opportunities for him have not been readily available due to sheer competition. He shares the pitch with Federico Dimarco, who is an undisputed starter in his position, and Alessandro Bastoni, who is equally capable of playing in that position as his left foot allows. Thus, Augusto always finds himself struggling to gain consecutive appearances.
His situation was momentarily linked to a possible move away with Bastoni to Barcelona which would have eventually opened up a spot in the backline for him. However, that has not materialized, as the Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is said to be interested in a different profile, which is obviously not something to rely on. With Bastoni most likely staying at Inter, it is very hard for the club to persuade Augusto to sign a new deal as his role will be just as he desires for so long, and so there is a chance that this negotiation may also fall flat.
Yann Bisseck, on the other hand, is a different dilemma for Inter. The German centre back has become an increasingly important member of the backline over the past two seasons, and the coaching staff and fellow players can only admire him. However, it is said that Bayern Munich is also keeping a keen eye on the defender and may even come in with a concrete offer.
Sporting Directors Beppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio are not known for breaking their strict wage structure, even though this will make them look less than the best once the rival club does comes in for their targets. Although, however you see it, losing two defenders in the window would be devastating for Inter and they would be left looking to splash serious cash on players who could eventually fit in.
More should become clear in the upcoming weeks.
