Inter Milan paid €500,000 for Ebenezer Akinsanmiro in 2023. Three years later, Pisa have activated a €7 million buy-out clause to sign the Super Eagles midfielder permanently — giving the Serie A champions a 14-fold return on their investment.
Pisa Sporting Club have decided to keep Ebenezer Akinsanmiro beyond his loan spell, triggering the purchase option in his contract to sign the Nigerian midfielder permanently from Inter Milan. The deal, worth €7 million, was confirmed by transfer insider Nicolò Schira on May 3, 2026.
For Inter, it is a remarkable piece of business. They bought Akinsanmiro from Remo Stars in January 2023 for roughly €500,000. They are now recouping fourteen times that figure from a club that is about to play in Serie B.
From Remo Stars to Serie A in Three Years
Akinsanmiro, born in Lagos on November 25, 2004, started his professional career at Remo Stars in 2020. He was part of the squad that helped the Ogun State club win promotion from the Nigeria National League to the NPFL at the end of the 2020/21 season.
His performances caught European eyes fast. In March 2022, he featured in the Torneo di Viareggio with Alex Transfiguration, where the side reached the final before losing on penalties to Sassuolo. Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Benfica were all tracking him. Inter won the race.
Three Years at the Giuseppe Meazza
Akinsanmiro signed a four-year deal with Inter in January 2023. He trained with the first team under Simone Inzaghi and made his Serie A debut on February 25, 2024, coming on against Lecce in a 4-0 win.
But breaking into Inter’s midfield permanently was always going to be a long shot. With Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Davide Frattesi, and Piotr Zielinski all ahead of him, Inter chose to develop him through loans instead. Super Eagles fans who want to follow his next chapter can grab the Bet9ja’s YOHAIG code to stake on Serie B action next season.
A Difficult Season at Pisa
Akinsanmiro spent the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Sampdoria in Serie B, where he got regular playing time. This season, he stepped up to Serie A with newly-promoted Pisa on loan, with an option to buy built into the deal.
It turned into a rough ride. He made 22 league appearances but managed only one assist. His minutes dropped sharply after Nigeria’s AFCON 2025 campaign, and his form was inconsistent. Pisa finished rock-bottom of Serie A with just 18 points from 35 games, confirming their relegation to Serie B weeks ago.
Despite that, Pisa have still chosen to buy him. The buy-out clause was priced at €7 million. They pressed the button anyway. As reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng, Inter retain an €8 million buy-back clause and are widely expected to use it, suggesting this story is far from over.
Inter Could Come Back for Him
That buy-back clause is the most intriguing part of the deal. Inter Milan do not insert buy-back clauses as a formality. They inserted one here because they believe Akinsanmiro has genuine top-level potential.
Transfer journalist Schira reported that Inter are “set to use” the buy-back option, which would effectively see the 21-year-old return to the San Siro as soon as this summer. Pisa’s relegation may actually accelerate the timeline. Supporters keen to back Nigerian talent in Europe can check out the YOHAIG welcome offer on Bet9ja ahead of next season’s European campaign.
What This Means for the Super Eagles
Akinsanmiro earned his first Super Eagles call-up in October 2025 for World Cup playoff matches against Gabon. A shoulder injury ruled him out before he could win his first cap, but he made the AFCON 2025 squad and played 45 minutes in a friendly against Egypt.
He did not feature in a single minute at AFCON itself. But at 21, with Serie A experience behind him and Inter Milan’s faith still backing him, Akinsanmiro’s best days in a Super Eagles shirt are still ahead of him. His story, from a barbershop in Ibafo to the top of Italian football, is exactly the kind of journey Nigerian fans live for. Those eager to track his return to the San Siro can find useful context on this Bet9ja sign-up bonus page for new users joining ahead of next season.
📌 Did You Know?
- Before his football breakthrough, Akinsanmiro briefly ran a barbershop in Ibafo, Ogun State after losing motivation for the game due to a lack of support from foster parents. His father’s encouragement brought him back to the pitch.
- Akinsanmiro idolises former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel and has described Mikel as a key influence on how he approaches the game as a central midfielder.
- During his time at Sampdoria in 2024/25, Akinsanmiro was subjected to racist abuse in a Brescia-Sampdoria match. He responded defiantly, continuing to perform and earning widespread praise for his composure.
- He has been nicknamed “the Caicedo of Serie A” by Italian football observers, a reference to his physical intensity, work rate, and defensive output in midfield, echoing qualities of Chelsea and Ecuador star Moises Caicedo.
- Akinsanmiro made his debut for Remo Stars in 2020, the same season the Ogun State club won promotion to the NPFL. He was just 15 years old at the time, making him one of the youngest professionals in Nigerian football that year.
- Inter Milan beat Real Madrid and Benfica to sign Akinsanmiro in January 2023, a remarkable early-career bidding war that signalled how highly European scouts rated his potential even before he had turned 19.
- If Inter Milan exercise their €8 million buy-back clause this summer, Akinsanmiro’s total transfer value will have moved from €500,000 to €8 million in just three years — a 16-fold increase since leaving Remo Stars.
