Inter Milan Cool Interest in Ruan Tressoldi as January 2026 Transfer Focus Shifts

Inter Milan’s pursuit of Sassuolo center-back Ruan Tressoldi, which once saw them locked in competition with Premier League clubs like Everton, seems to have cooled significantly. Reports from early 2025 highlighted Tressoldi as a key target for the Nerazzurri. But as of December 2025, things look pretty different, with no concrete bids for the Brazilian defender.

Tressoldi Saga: From Hot Prospect to Back Burner

Back in January 2025, SempreInter.com reported that Inter Milan was really keen on Ruan Tressoldi. He was just 22 years old then, a Brazilian center-back playing for Sassuolo. Inter needed defensive reinforcements, and he fit the bill. Sassuolo, despite being in Serie B after relegation, valued him at around €15-20 million. And yeah, there was competition. Everton, under David Moyes apparently, was also in the mix, looking to beef up their own defense. It seemed like a real race for his signature.

Tressoldi has been a consistent performer. He joined Sassuolo in 2023 from Sporting CP and has already made 45 appearances for them, even scoring a couple of goals. He also played for Brazil U20, so his pedigree is pretty clear. He’s still playing regularly for Sassuolo, who are actually top of Serie B right now, as of late December. His contract with them runs until June 2027.

Interest Shifts and Bids Don’t Materialize

But fast forward to now, December 2025, and the situation around Ruan Tressoldi looks a lot quieter. Turns out, all that early buzz didn’t lead to anything concrete.

Gazzetta dello Sport confirmed in October 2025 that Inter was still keeping an eye on Tressoldi. But, and this is a big “but,” they hadn’t actually made any formal offer. Just monitoring him, you know how clubs do.

Then in November, Sky Sport Italia reported that Everton actually shifted their focus. They apparently recalled Jarrad Branthwaite from his loan, which reduced their need for Tressoldi. So, that direct competition from the Premier League kind of faded away. No Inter bid confirmed then either.

And it just kept going like that. Fabrizio Romano chimed in mid-December, pretty much saying what everyone else was thinking. “No deal imminent for Tressoldi,” he stated. He added that Inter does like him for depth, but their “priority is elsewhere” for the upcoming January 2026 transfer window. And Everton, yeah, they’re “not pushing hard” anymore. So it seems like a bit of a dead end for now.

Transfermarkt, which is usually spot on with these things, still lists Tressoldi at Sassuolo. His market value is around €18 million. They mention rumored interest from Inter and some unspecified Premier League clubs, but crucially, no official bids have been logged.

Inter’s Broader Defensive Search

Even though the Ruan Tressoldi transfer hasn’t taken off, Inter Milan is still super busy looking at other defenders. They’re definitely planning for the future.

For instance, Inter is apparently accelerating their interest in Branimir Mlacic, a young 18-year-old defender from Hajduk Split. They want to beat out other clubs like Real Madrid and Olympique Marseille for him. The idea is to bring him into their Primavera squad first, and Hajduk Split is reportedly open to selling for about €5 million. That’s a different kind of investment, a younger, less immediate impact one.

They’re also looking at Tarik Muharemovic, another Sassuolo defender, who’s 22. He’s been really good in Serie A this season. Inter sees him as a possible long-term replacement for Stefan de Vrij, whose contract expires soon. Barcelona is even apparently looking at de Vrij.

And then there’s Dayot Upamecano from Bayern Munich. He’s 27, at his peak, and his contract is running down. Inter, known for getting good players on free transfers, could go head-to-head with Real Madrid for him next summer if he doesn’t re-sign with Bayern.

Plus, Inter has rekindled their interest in Nathan Zeze, a 19-year-old Nantes center-back. He’s left-footed, which is perfect for potentially replacing Francesco Acerbi, who’s getting older and has had injury problems. Zeze would probably cost a fair bit, though, with three years left on his contract.

What About the Attack?

It’s not just defenders on Inter’s radar. The club is also sorting out their attacking options. Mehdi Taremi, the Iranian striker, seems to be on his way out. He’s had a pretty disappointing first season in Serie A, and Inter has already signed Ange-Yoan Bonny from Parma to replace him.

Taremi has a verbal agreement with Besiktas, but he’s apparently holding out. He really wants to play in the Premier League. Fulham and Nottingham Forest have shown interest, but no concrete steps have been taken by those English clubs yet. So, he’s kind of in limbo, waiting for an offer from England.

So, yeah, while Ruan Tressoldi was a name on the list, it looks like Inter Milan’s focus has moved elsewhere for their January 2026 transfer window plans. He’s still doing his thing at Sassuolo, and Inter is busy scouting a whole bunch of other talent across Europe.