OFFICIAL: Manuel Akanji joins Inter Milan on loan for the 2025/26 season

According to official statement, Manuel Akanji joins Inter from ManCity on loan for the 25/26 season.

The Swiss defender born in 1995 arrives in the Nerazzurri from Manchester City on a temporary basis with the right to buy and obligation upon the occurrence of certain conditions

In life there are times when you are faced with seemingly impossible challenges, mountains to climb over that seem insurmountable: there are situations in which calm and serenity prove to be indispensable allies, qualities that allow you to find impetuous forces that are sometimes almost forgotten. This is how the life and career of Manuel Obafemi Akanji developed, the new Nerazzurri defender, capable of imagining new ways and paths on and off the pitch even in the face of rough paths.

Born in Wiesendangen in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland on July 19, 1995, Manuel grew up immersed in the world of sport all his life. Mum Isabel is a former Swiss tennis player, while dad Abimbola is a Nigerian finance expert, an amateur footballer: watching his matches Akanji falls in love with this game. In the garden of the house, Manuel and his sister Sarah try to imitate their father's plays, imagining taking the field in the biggest stadiums in the world. Akanji's imagination runs fast thanks to his brilliant mind, the one that comes to his aid in the most complicated moments. When he started playing for Wiesendangen at the age of 9, Manuel was physically more frail than his teammates: it took great mental strength and a lot of sacrifice to continue to believe in a dream that seemed complicated, but Akanji proved to be special.

In 2007 he moved to Winterthur, the same club where his sister Sarah also plays in the women's team. It was the beginning of a new journey, which lasted six years, which led him to wear one of the most prestigious jerseys in his country: after becoming a staple of Winterthur in the Swiss second division, in the summer of 2015 he moved to Basel. With the rossoblù team Akanji made his debut in the Swiss championship, but collected only 12 appearances in his first season due to a serious injury. It is on this occasion that he demonstrates his willpower and his incredible resilience to everyone: "prove them wrong" becomes his motto, a phrase that he also carries imprinted on his skin.

Over the next two years, Manuel became a pivot for Basel, with whom he made his Champions League debut in 2017/18 and won a total of two league titles and a Swiss Cup. Thus came the call from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, a new adventure for Akanji. An adventure that led him to grow as a man and a player: in four and a half years in the Rhineland Manuel played 158 games, winning a Cup and a German Super Cup. In 2019/20 his path crossed for the first time with that of Inter when he faced the Nerazzurri in the two group games of the 2019/20 Champions League.

Now consecrated internationally, Akanji moved to Manchester City in the summer of 2022. Manuel is a versatile defender, able to cover different roles thanks to his great ability with the ball at his feet. That child who played with his head held high on the pitch becomes a defender appreciated worldwide: what he was questioned for becomes his greatest strength. In England, Manuel played and won a lot: with the Cityzens he made 136 appearances in three years, scored 5 goals and won two Premier Leagues, an FA Cup, a Community Shield, a Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup in 2023.

Twenty-third Swiss in Nerazzurri history, Manuel is a veteran of his national team with whom he made his debut in 2017. Akanji has made 71 appearances for the Swiss shirt, reaching the round of 16 at the World Cup twice in 2018 and 2022 and the quarter-finals at the European Championships twice in 2020 and 2024, being included in the tournament's ideal team on the latter occasion.

Serenity, calm and a quiet strength: with these great qualities Manuel Akanji introduces himself to the Nerazzurri fans and is preparing to start his adventure with Inter.