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MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 17: Manuel Akanji of FC Internazionale Milano warms up prior to the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Cagliari Calcio at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on April 17, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Inter have reportedly triggered their obligation to buy defender Manuel Akanji on a permanent deal from Manchester City after winning the 2025-26 Scudetto, but what were the exact conditions of the deal?
Inter have already triggered their obligation to buy Akanji
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Akanji moved to Inter on the final day of the summer transfer window, joining on an initial loan from Manchester City in a deal that also included an option to buy that would become mandatory under certain conditions.
Various outlets indicate that those conditions were winning the Serie A title and that Akanji plays for at least 50% of the team’s league matches in 2025-26.
Inter were officially crowned champions of Italy over the weekend, confirming their 21st Serie A title with a 2-0 victory over Parma in San Siro on Sunday.
Akanji joined Inter after the first two games of the Serie A season, which means that he needed to play for 50% of the 36 remaining league matches, i.e. 18.
The former Man City and Borussia Dortmund has been a mainstay in the Nerazzurri defence this season and has featured in every Serie A match that he has been available for. As things stand, he has 33 appearances in Serie A to his name, 31 as a starter, and 30 for the full 90 minutes.
Champions League fixtures did not count towards the number of appearances needed to trigger the obligation to buy clause in Akanji’s contract, the defender also featured in every one of Inter’s European matches this term, including for the full 90 minutes across his six most recent UCL outings.
In fact, only goalkeeper Yann Sommer has featured more for Inter this season, both in Serie A and across all competitions. Akanji has played for a total of 3,617 minutes this season with Serie A, Champions League, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana fixtures included.
Inter still have three league matches of the 2025-26 season remaining plus the Coppa Italia final against Lazio next Wednesday, which means that he could be on course for his busiest season ever. The most minutes that Akanji has ever played in a single season is currently 3,864, which he achieved during the 2023-24 season with Manchester City.
ByPeter Young
Peter Young is a Senior Reporter with Football Italia.
