Inter Milan lock down Francesco Pio Esposito until 2032 ahead of Real Madrid clash

Inter Milan used the eve of their Champions League opener against Real Madrid to close one of the most pressing operations in their sporting project. The Lombard club announced the renewal of Francesco Pio Esposito, their 21-year-old breakout striker, who has signed a new deal running until 30 June 2032. The move locks in one of the most promising talents in Italian football and arrives at a sweet moment for the forward, who is firmly established as a starter in Cristian Chivu's side.

• Francesco Pio Esposito extends his Inter Milan contract until 30 June 2032.
• The agreement more than doubles his salary to €2.7 million per season.
• The announcement comes one day before Inter take on Real Madrid in the opening round of the Champions League league phase.
• The 21-year-old striker has scored 12 goals in 53 official matches for the first team.
• Several English clubs tried to sign him during the summer transfer window.

Francesco Pio Esposito signs Inter Milan deal until June 2032

The Nerazzurri made the agreement official through a brief statement confirming that the forward will wear the Inter shirt for the next seven seasons. His previous contract was due to expire at the end of the current campaign, so Giuseppe Marotta's board moved quickly to prevent the player from entering his final six months with the freedom to negotiate elsewhere.

Inter Milan announces that it has reached an agreement to extend the contract of Francesco Pio Esposito: the striker will wear the Nerazzurri shirt until 30 June 2032.

The renewal is a reward for a meteoric rise that has surprised even those inside the club. In barely one full season in the top flight, the striker has earned a permanent spot in the starting eleven and attracted interest from several Premier League sides, competition that Inter have now neutralised with this improved deal.

A striker who doubles his salary to fend off Premier League interest

According to Italian media reports, Esposito's new contract will push his annual pay above €2.7 million net, more than double what he was earning until now. The club believes that keeping a 1.91-metre goalscorer with so much room for growth fully justifies the financial effort.

English clubs came calling during the summer with tempting offers, but the striker always prioritised staying in Milan. His performances for the Italian national team, with whom he debuted in September 2025 and has already scored five goals in nine caps, sent his value soaring across Europe and made the renewal an absolute priority for the Serie A champions.

From Inter's academy to starting ahead of Marcus Thuram

A product of the Nerazzurri youth system, Esposito completed his development during two loan spells at Spezia in Serie B between 2023 and 2025. His first-team debut came in June 2025, one week before his 20th birthday, in a Club World Cup match against Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds.

He has not stopped growing in importance since that night. In 53 official appearances for Inter he has celebrated 12 goals, figures that do not fully capture his influence on the team's play. Cristian Chivu has handed him a starting role in the first three Serie A matchdays, with a goal on the opening weekend against Monza, and currently prefers him over a Marcus Thuram still nursing the calf problem that troubled him during the World Cup.

Inter visit Real Madrid with the renewal as a boost

The announcement lands in the middle of the countdown to Tuesday's match at the Santiago Bernabéu, corresponding to the first round of the new Champions League league phase. The Milan club arrives in Madrid still riding the emotional hangover from Saturday's Serie A thriller, in which they beat Napoli 3-2 in a dramatic finale.

With Esposito leading the line and spirits high after that victory and the academy product's new deal, Inter will look to start strong in a competition where they have serious ambitions. The new format demands points from the very first matchday, and taking them against the reigning European champions would be a statement of intent.

The Esposito brothers: a family that rules Italian football

Francesco Pio is the youngest member of a family that has turned football into its trade. His two older brothers are also professionals: 25-year-old Salvatore plays for Sampdoria in Serie B, while 24-year-old Sebastiano wears the Sassuolo shirt in Italy's top flight.

The youngest Esposito, however, looks destined to go furthest. With his new contract secured until 2032, Inter have locked down a striker who combines physical presence, goals and a maturity well beyond his years, and who is already regarded as one of the faces of the Nerazzurri project for the next decade.

Frequently asked questions about Francesco Pio Esposito's renewal