Inter Milan wing-back, Denzel Dumfries €25 million release clause has reportedly expired, casting further doubt on a potential summer move amid reported interest from Barcelona.
With the clause no longer active, the Serie A giants are growing increasingly confident that the Dutch international will remain at the club beyond the current transfer window.
Softfootball understands that the 28-year-old who extended his contract with Inter in November 2024 until 2028, has been on Barcelona’s radar as Hansi Flick looks to strengthen his squad ahead of the upcoming season.
However, with no formal offer submitted by the Catalan club before the the exipiration of the clause due to shifting priorities and ongoing financial constraints which ultimately prevented the club’s sporting department from operating normally in the market, Dumfries is likely to stay at the San Siro.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano via his X handle, the €25 million release clause in Denzel Dumfries’ contract with Inter Milan has now officially expired.
With this development, it appears unlikely that Barcelona will come in with an official bid as they will now negotiate directly with the Serie A club, potentially leading to a higher transfer fee or even preventing the transfer. His tweet reads:
“€25m release clause into Denzel Dumfries’ contract at Inter has now officially expired”.
Despite reported interest from Barcelona and other Premier League clubs like Manchester United and Aston Villa over the past year, no club has made an official move to secure the Netherland star before his €25 million release clause expired on 31st July, 2025.
Denzel Dumfries had set his sight on joining Barcelona this summer and placed his future in the hands of super agent Jorge Mendes to make the transfer happen, the Portuguese agent who has close ties with the Blaugrana put forward the right-back’s name on the table in meetings with the club officials.
However, the Catalan giants had no room to manoeuvre financially and were ultimately unable to proceed with the deal. Deco had expected Barcelona to enter the 1:1 financial rule sooner, which would have allowed sufficient flexibility to sign a goalkeeper, a winger, and a right-back.
As a result, Joan Garcia was signed early, Dumfries case followed a similar path. He was a profile the club liked, and the player was willing to wait for Barcelona until the very end. Mendes also assisted in several outgoing transfers to help make room for new arrivals.
However, 31 July came and gone and neither Deco nor the club were able to take the decisive step.
