´I want to stay´ – Calhanoglu shuts down talk of Inter exit

Hakan Calhanoglu insists he is an “Inter player” and that he “wants to stay” despite speculation that he was heading to Galatasaray this transfer window.

Calhanoglu had reportedly asked to join the Turkish giants, and after he missed Inter’s final game at the Club World Cup, a 2-0 defeat to Fluminense in the last 16, further questions were raised.

The midfielder joined Inter in June 2021, and two years later signed a contract extension to keep him at the club until 2027.

Calhanoglu has made 182 appearances for Inter in all competitions, and after reaching the Champions League final in 2024-25, became the first Turkish player to play in the showpiece twice.

And after returning to Inter for pre-season training, Calhanoglu revealed he has no plans to leave the club in the near future.

“Every year there are transfer rumours,” Calhanoglu told Gazzetta dello Sport. “A little more so this time, but I didn’t say anything because I wanted our fans to see that I’m back: it’s not right to always make statements.

“Of course, I’m happy to be back; I’m an Inter player and I want to stay here.”

There is now talk of Calhanoglu possibly signing a new contract at Inter, though he did not confirm if that were true.

“Let’s hope and see what happens over the years,” he added. “But my goal is to win here.”

Following the end of Inter’s Club World Cup campaign, captain Lautaro Martinez seemingly questioned the desire of certain team-mates and told them to leave the club in a post-match interview.

Inter’s president, Giuseppe Marotta, claimed shortly after that Martinez had in fact been talking about Calhanoglu.

The Turkiye international then responded, citing a lack of respect from Martinez and Marotta, but when questioned if there would be any hard feelings between him and the Argentinian, Calhanoglu brushed off concerns.

“We’ve talked: we’re professionals, there’s no problem,” he said.

“When the captain returns, I’ll just hug him. He’s on vacation now, and that’s right. We had our minds full. Now, we’re all more relaxed and looking ahead.”