Manchester City defender expresses desire for permanent exit in summer of 2026 | OneFootball

Manchester City loanee Manuel Akanji has given an update on his future as he continue to impress on loan at Inter Milan.

The Swiss international signed for Inter on deadline day on an initial loan deal, with an option to buy at the end of the season, with one eye on the 2026 FIFA World Cup as Akanji looks to guarantee his starting place for Nati.

Akanji joined Man City in the summer of 2022 from Borrusia Dortmund for a reported fee of £15 million and was a key player in the side that won the treble that season. However, he struggles for regular minutes at the Etihad Stadium last term.

The 30-year-old made 136 appearances for Manchester City before making the switch to the Nerazzurri this summer, with City’s new sporting director Hugo Viana allowing Akanji to move clubs for the season for consistent playing time.

Akanji has settled in well at Inter and is well thought of as he is Cristian Chivu’s most used centre-back, with Manchester City undergoing a period of transition after conducting a thorough audit of their first-team squad in the recent window.

There remain question marks over the future of John Stones, who is into the final year of his current deal at the Etihad Stadium and is fighting for his Manchester City career amid worries over the 31-year-old’s injury record.

It is unlikely that Akanji – much like Jack Grealish, who is on loan at Everton for the season – features in Manchester City’s plans upon his return to the club next summer, when Inter will have the opportunity to sign the centre-half on a permanent basis.

Speaking to press after Inter’s 2-1 win away to Hellas Verona at the weekend, the two-time Premier League champion commented on his club future as he continues to impress in the Serie A.

“For now, there’s nothing. We’ll see what happens at the end of the season,” said Akanji, as quoted by Tuttomercatoweb and relayed by Sport Witness.

“I’m trying to do my best on the pitch and in the end we’ll see if Inter decide to keep me or not – the decision is up to them. They seem happy but we’ll see what happens. For now, there’s nothing.”

With competition in the central defensive area at City heavily stacked at the moment with Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Nathan Ake, Stones and Abdukodir Khusanov all competing for starting spots, Akanji seems to have found a consistent starting spot in Italy that he didn’t have under Guardiola last season.

“The league (Serie A) is as competitive as I expected,” Akanji added. “I’m trying to do my best within my abilities to help the team. I like the club, the coach, the staff – I’m very happy here.”

Inter seem to be satisfied with their coup so far and it appears likely that they will exercise the buy option into the defender’s loan deal, with current contracts of Francesco Acerbi, Stefan de Vrij and Matteo Darmian set to expire at the end of the season.