Official: Bologna sign ex-Inter and Man United defender Darmian on free transfer

Official: Matteo Darmian joins Bologna on a free transfer (via www.bolognafc.it)

Former Inter, Manchester United and Torino defender Matteo Darmian has officially been announced as a new Bologna player after spending the last week on trial with the Rossoblu. 

The 36-year-old has joined Bologna on a free transfer and has put pen to paper on a contract that will run until the end of the 2026-27 season. Reports earlier this week suggest that there will be an option to extend for an additional 12 months. 

Darmian has been available as a free agent after leaving Inter at the end of the 2025-26 season. He made 218 appearances across all competitions for the Nerazzurri and was part of the squads that won three Serie A titles, three Coppa Italia trophies, three Supercoppa Italiana finals and finished as Champions League runners-up in 2023 and 2025. 

The veteran full-back had several opportunities at the end of his Inter contract, including from several newly-promoted sides and even an offer of a backroom role in San Siro according to previous reports. 

He instead decided to take his time to weigh up his next steps and eventually accepted an offer to begin training with Bologna following a serious injury to Rossoblu right-back Emil Holm while away on international duty with Sweden during the September-October break. 

Holm has since had surgery and is expected to miss between four and six months of action. 

This has provided Darmian with an opportunity to return to Serie A after going just over three months without a club. 

He joins Bologna in time for their next Serie A match, which comes away against Lecce at 14.00 BST on Sunday afternoon.