Real Madrid has exercised a contractual buyout clause to sign Denzel Dumfries. The Dutch player is leaving Inter Milan after nearly five years.
Before leaving, Denzel Dumfries celebrated winning the domestic double one last time with Inter Milan, before signing a contract with Real Madrid that runs through 2030. After three Supercoppa and three Coppa Italia titles, as well as two league championships, the 30-year-old’s time with the Nerazzurri has come to an end. A buyout clause makes this possible two years before the contract’s expiration.
According to consistent reports, Dumfries is expected to cost the Royals 20 million euros as a result. While the Dutchman primarily played as a right-sided fullback in a back three or back five at Inter, he usually plays as a classic right-back in a back four for the national team. Real is also responding to the departure of captain Dani Carvajal, who is leaving the club after 13 professional seasons.
Long injury layoff last season
During his time with Inter, Dumfries quickly established himself as a key player after making the move from PSV Eindhoven to Lombardy in the summer of 2021. The defender made a total of 207 competitive appearances (27 goals, 28 assists) for Inter—including 44 in the Champions League and two against his new employer in 2021, both of which were losses.
Meanwhile, Dumfries missed a large portion of the past season. Since an injury to his left ankle at the turn of the year even required surgery, the right back missed a total of 25 matches for both club and country. However, Dumfries returned to the field in the final stretch of the season and played a key role in Inter’s early championship clinch with a brace in Como (4–3) and an assist in the 3–0 win over Cagliari. He also contributed an assist in the cup final against Lazio Rome, which Inter won 2–0.
Before Dumfries heads to Madrid to compete with Trent Alexander-Arnold for a starting spot, he’ll first be taking a vacation following the World Cup. As part of the squad led by the now-retired national team coach Ronald Koeman, the 30-year-old was eliminated in the round of 32 by Morocco (2–3 on penalty kicks).
