Inter Milan mainstay reveals he had a chance to join Barcelona in 2021 – ‘Made a proposal’ | OneFootball

Hakan Calhanoglu is one of the most decorated footballers Turkey has produced over the last decade.

Currently plying his trade for Inter Milan, the midfielder has made almost 300 appearances in Serie A and has famously played for both the Milan clubs.

In fact, his controversial switch from AC Milan to Inter Milan in 2021 generated a lot of buzz in Italian football media, drawing the ire of the Rossoneri.

However, during that little period, Calhanoglu’s career trajectory could have turned out very differently, as he was also courted by Barcelona.

Calhanoglu admits Barcelona interest in 2021

In a recent interview with KAFA Sports, the Turkish international has admitted he was approached by Barcelona in 2021, when he was still awaiting a renewal offer from Milan.

“We waited until the last minute for Milan to make a renewal offer, but it never came. At that time, my agent told me that Barcelona had made a proposal and that Juventus were also interested,” he said (h/t SPORT).

Calhanoglu could have joined Barcelona in 2021. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Calhanoglu had joined Milan in 2017, but after four years at Rossoneri, he was still finding it hard to earn a renewal, prompting him to make a controversial switch to Inter Milan.

This was when Barcelona, then under the leadership of Ronald Koeman, had also made an approach for Calhanoglu, soon after losing Lionel Messi.

The Turk, though, explained why he ignored every other offer, in favour of a move to Inter Milan, all thanks to one man: Simone Inzaghi.

“But then Inter appeared, at the last moment. Inzaghi kept calling us, he really loved me. At that moment, I asked myself: ‘How can you go from Milan to Inter?’ My agent told me,

“‘Think about it and call me when you wake up.’ I accepted. It was my decision. When I told my family, they accepted it,” he said.

Calhanoglu joined Inter on a free transfer and has since made over 200 competitive appearances for the club, winning two Coppa Italia and one league title.

Barcelona, on the other hand, are currently interested in Calhanoglu’s teammate, Alessandro Bastoni, who has topped the club’s defensive wishlist heading into the summer of 2026.