On July 24, 2025, Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging pulled off a quiet masterstroke in the summer transfer window, securing 19-year-old Serbian defensive midfielder Aleksandar Stankovic from Football Club Internazionale Milano for a €9.5 million fee. The deal, confirmed by Club Brugge’s official listing on Tribuna.com, wasn’t just another transfer — it was the payoff of a season-long gamble that paid off spectacularly in the Swiss Super League.

A Loan That Became a Lifeline

Stankovic’s path to Bruges wasn’t paved with Serie A starts. After spending the 2024-25 season on loan at FC Lugano, he became the engine of their midfield, making 38 appearances, scoring three goals, and adding two assists. At the Swissporarena in Lugano, Switzerland, he wasn’t just playing — he was commanding. His tackling, positioning, and ability to recycle possession under pressure made him indispensable. Yet back at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan, he was invisible. Cristian Chivu’s Inter squad, stacked with veterans and high-priced recruits, had no room for a teenager with potential but no pedigree in top-tier Italian football.

"He had already given his ‘go-ahead’ for the transfer," Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri reported via FCInterNews on July 1. That line said everything: Stankovic didn’t want to wait. He didn’t want to be a benchwarmer. He wanted to play — and Club Brugge gave him the only real path forward.

The Belgian Connection

This isn’t the first time Club Brugge has turned a loan into a permanent win. The club, which plays its home games at the Jan Breydelstadion (capacity: 29,062), has built a reputation for spotting talent that bigger clubs overlook — or worse, abandon. Stankovic’s arrival follows a pattern: identify a player with grit, test them in a competitive but less pressurized league, then lock them down before rivals notice.

Turns out, RSC Anderlecht was also circling. But Club Brugge moved faster. And smarter. While Anderlecht hesitated, Brugge locked in the deal. The €9.5 million price tag isn’t just a profit for Inter — it’s a statement. For a player who never played a single minute for Inter’s first team in 2025, that’s a massive return on a youth investment.

The Ripple Effect: Milan’s Search for Answers

Here’s the twist: this transfer didn’t happen in a vacuum. While Stankovic was packing his bags for Bruges, Associazione Calcio Milan was quietly negotiating for Ardon Jashari, Club Brugge’s 22-year-old Swiss international. Jashari, who won both ‘Player of the Season’ and ‘Young Player of the Season’ in the Belgian Pro League after 52 appearances, four goals, and six assists, was the prize AC Milan wanted to rebuild their midfield after finishing eighth in 2024-25.

It’s a classic chain reaction: Club Brugge sells Jashari to Milan, uses the funds to sign Stankovic from Inter, and Inter recoups a tidy sum from a player they couldn’t use. The Belgian club becomes the middleman in a European transfer web — and they’re winning at every turn.

Summer Moves That Shaped Brugge’s Season

Stankovic’s arrival is just one piece of a larger puzzle. In the same window, Club Brugge offloaded:

• Chemsdine Talbi (19, RW) to Sunderland AFC for €20 million
• Maxim De Cuyper (24, LB) to Brighton & Hove Albion for €20 million
• Carlos Forbs (20, LS) from Ajax for €6 million
• Casper Nielsen (30, CM) to Standard Liège for €700,000

That’s over €46 million in net profit from summer transfers alone. This isn’t luck — it’s a business model. Club Brugge doesn’t just buy talent; they develop it, sell it at peak value, and reinvest. They’re the Belgian equivalent of RB Leipzig — but with more soul and fewer corporate logos.

What This Means for the Future

For Stankovic, this is a fresh start. He’s no longer a forgotten academy product. He’s now a cornerstone for a club that regularly competes in the Europa League. For Inter, it’s a clean break — they get cash, they clear space, and they keep their youth system’s reputation intact. For Belgian football, it’s proof that the Pro League isn’t just a stepping stone — it’s a launchpad.

And the timing? Perfect. With the 2025-26 Belgian Pro League season kicking off in July, Club Brugge enters the campaign with a more balanced, dynamic midfield. Stankovic’s defensive discipline complements the creativity of players like Jérémy Doku and the emerging talent of 18-year-old forward Jelle Vossen. The team, which finished second last season behind Union Saint-Gilloise by three points, now has the grit to challenge for the title.

Inter, meanwhile, will watch. They’ve done this before — selling youth to fund big-name signings. But with new coach Simone Inzaghi reshaping the squad, they may soon regret letting Stankovic go. Sometimes, the players you don’t play become the ones you miss most.