Stefan de Vrij is heading to Athens. Panathinaikos has reached an agreement on personal terms with the 34-year-old Dutch centre-back, who becomes a free agent when his Inter Milan contract expires on June 30, 2026.

The deal, structured as a two-year contract running until June 2028, will pay de Vrij approximately €3 million net per season. Medical examinations in Athens are the final step before the signing is made official.

How a Serie A stalwart ends up in Greece

Inter Milan offered de Vrij a short-term extension to keep him at the club beyond this summer. He turned it down.

That decision opened the door for Panathinaikos, and for a brief window, for several other suitors. Benfica and Olympiacos both registered interest earlier in April 2026, making this a genuinely competitive race for a player with serious pedigree.

Panathinaikos emerged as the frontrunner from mid-June 2026 onward, and the reported financial package helps explain why. A guaranteed two-year deal at €3 million net annually is a meaningful commitment from a Greek club.

Who is Stefan de Vrij, for the uninitiated

De Vrij came through the Feyenoord academy in the Netherlands before moving to Lazio in Serie A. Inter Milan signed him in 2018, and he spent the better part of a decade as a fixture in one of Europe’s most defensively organized clubs.

Reports indicate de Vrij is expected to travel to Athens imminently. Assuming no complications emerge from the medical, the paperwork follows quickly.

What this means for Panathinaikos

The free transfer structure also matters from a financial perspective. Paying no fee for a player of this caliber means the budget allocated to de Vrij’s wages is not simultaneously carrying the weight of an amortized transfer cost. A two-year deal at €3 million net per season represents a concentrated bet on a player with a known track record.