Inter are actively identifying centre-back targets to replace Stefan de Vrij, with the 34-year-old Dutchman understood to be departing the club at the end of the 2025-26 Serie A season. Roma's Evan Ndicka and Genoa's Leo Ostigard have both been identified as candidates to fill the vacancy, signalling that the Nerazzurri's succession planning is now concrete rather than contingent.
The timing matters. Inter coach Cristian Chivu has guided the club to first place in Serie A with 86 points from 37 matches — a title-winning campaign by any measure — and the defensive architecture that underpinned it, conceding just 32 goals across the season, will need careful reconstruction. De Vrij has been part of that structure, and replacing a player who understands Chivu's system from the inside is not a trivial exercise, regardless of how many names are being circulated.
De Vrij's own numbers this season tell a story of selective deployment rather than decline. He made 10 Serie A appearances, contributing neither goals nor assists, but averaged a rating of 7.20 — a figure that suggests his contributions, when called upon, were consistently solid. At 34, his role has evolved into that of a trusted rotational presence rather than a guaranteed starter, and Inter have managed that transition without visible disruption to their defensive record. An AI overall score of 69 out of 100 reflects a player still performing at a functional level, even if the ceiling — rated at 48 for potential — confirms that the club is right to plan beyond him.
The search for his successor also illuminates Inter's transfer philosophy. Ndicka, a left-footed ball-playing defender currently at Roma, and Ostigard, who has impressed in Serie A with Genoa, represent different profiles — one established in the Italian top flight, one still ascending. That Inter are weighing both simultaneously suggests the club has not yet settled on a type, only on the necessity of the move.
De Vrij arrived at Inter in 2018 and has since accumulated a Scudetto and a place in the club's recent history as one of its more reliable defensive operators. His exit, when confirmed, will close a chapter that coincided with Inter's return to domestic dominance. What follows depends on which of these candidates Chivu's staff ultimately trust to anchor the back line next season.