There are two major factors complicating contract extension talks between Inter Milan and wingback Denzel Dumfries.
Today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews, name the imminent changes to the Growth Decree policy and Inter’s pursuit of Tajon Buchanan as potentially pushing a summer Dumfries sale.
At the moment, Dumfries is under contract with Inter until the end of June 2025.
That means that the Nerazzurri feel that there is a clear deadline to extend the Dutchman’s contract.
Inter want to have an agreement wrapped up with Dumfries by this summer. Otherwise, they will look to sell him.
The reason for this is no mystery. Inter want to avoid at all costs the scenario that would see Dumfries head out the exit door on a free transfer when his contract runs out.
The Nerazzurri already learned the hard way how this can happen with Milan Skriniar’s departure last summer.
But the negotiations with Dumfries and his representatives haven’t been smooth sailing.
Around €1 million net per season separate Inter’s offer and Dumfries’s demands in terms of wages.
And moreover, the Corriere note, these negotiations are happening amidst the backdrop of a couple potentially decisive factors.
Growth Decree & Tajon Buchanan Pursuit Complicate Inter Contract Talks With Denzel Dumfries
First of all, the Corriere notes, there is the Italian government’s decision to scrap the Growth Decree tax benefits in Italian football.
The application of the policy in football will cease on January 1st – tomorrow.
Therefore, Inter cannot apply the tax benefits to any contract they agree from now on.
Dumfries is a player who Inter can enjoy the tax benefits of the Growth Decree on current wage payments.
The reason is simple. Dumfries arrived from the Eredivisie during the summer of 2021, when the Growth Decree applied to football.
And had Inter agreed a new deal with the 27-year-old before the end of 2023, they could have continued to apply the tax benefits to his wages.
That is the long and the short of why Inter officially extended the contracts of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Matteo Darmian before the new year.
The club got both of those extensions in before the deadline.
But without being able to do so in talks with Dumfries, the Growth Decree is off the table.
That means that the €1 million net per season difference separating the parties is even larger in terms of the gross amount.
Inter could be even more reluctant to climb much higher in their offer considering the higher taxes.
And in the meantime, Inter are ready to sign another right-wingback in January.
The Nerazzurri want Club Brugge and Canada winger Tajon Buchanan for the role.
The 24-year-old is not a direct replacement for Dumfries, per se. Rather, Inter are bringing Buchanan in as emergency cover given the long absence of Juan Cuadrado.
But given Buchanan’s age and potential, Inter could see the Canadian as a capable long-term replacement for Dumfries.
And in that respect, the Corriere notes, Buchanan’s arrival could further push Inter away from agreeing a new contract with Dumfries.
This would likely mean one thing – a sale of the Dutchman next summer.