La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Dias is "no longer safe" at the Etihad Stadium — a significant shift in a narrative that had him as one of the first names on any team sheet throughout his six seasons at Manchester City. Maresca is understood to be building his own defensive picture from scratch and has not given Dias the unconditional assurance the player was given under Guardiola, who made him club captain.
Inter Milan's interest is linked directly to their expectation that Yann Bisseck will leave for Bayern Munich this summer for a fee of around €40 million. Dias, contracted at City until June 2029 and earning approximately €6 million per season, is seen as the ideal replacement — a proven Champions League-level centre-back who would immediately upgrade Cristian Chivu's defensive options.
Corriere dello Sport reported that Inter are banking on the post-Guardiola vacuum to give them a meaningful chance of convincing Dias to move to Serie A. City's valuation is understood to be in the region of €50 million — a figure that would make any deal significantly more expensive than Inter's previous acquisitions from the Etihad. They negotiated a loan with conditional purchase obligation for Manuel Akanji last summer and would prefer a similar structure with Dias if a straight purchase proves unworkable.
City's position is more nuanced than a straightforward sale. The Manchester Evening News reported that new director of football Hugo Viana is determined to hold onto Dias and Joško Gvardiol despite the external interest. But the fact that the club are described as willing to listen to offers represents a meaningful change from the absolute position they held a year ago.
Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich are also monitoring the situation. City's defender of the year for three consecutive seasons will not be short of suitors if the club ultimately decide to move on.