Cristi Chivu also helped to extend the contract » Triple salary at Inter and a new contract until 2031!
Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published Friday, January 16, 2026, 11:41 am / Updated Friday, January 16, 2026 11:45 am
Francesco Pio Esposito (20 years old) is already a bet won by Cristi Chivu. The coach who grew up with the Italian striker at Inter's academy insisted he should not be loaned out in the summer and now the club will reward him. The Nerazzurri star will receive a renewal of his contract until 2031, with a substantial increase in his current salary.
Inter moved six points clear of champions Napoli on Wednesday and kept the distance of three “lengths” above AC Milan thanks to a 1-0 victory over Lecce, signed by Pio Esposito. Chivu's “kid” was voted player of the match over Giuseppe Meazza and received excellent news from management.
4goals and 5 assists has Pio Esposito in 24 matches (978 minutes played) this season: 2 in Serie A, one in the Champions League and one in the Coppa Italia
Pio's salary, jump from 1.1 to 3 million euros net annually!
The Italian press revealed that the Italian striker will be called by the club's management to change his contract due in July 2023.
Pio Esposito will receive an extra year, but also a salary increase commensurate with his “explosion” under Chivu, with whom he has been linked for seven years, starting with the Nerazzurri U14 team.
Pio Esposito and Cristi Chivu // PHOTO: Imago Images
“Pio will go into a higher category. The striker currently earns €1.1m a year plus bonuses and should climb the financial ladder to around €2.5m per season plus bonuses.
It is not out of the question that he will be offered 3 million net if he continues like this and adds some crucial achievements, like the one that beat Lecce. Because goals matter, but they also weigh a lot.
Thuram nicknamed Pio “Plumbul” after the goal against Lecce
At just 20 years old, Pio has shown that he can handle the impact at a top club and a challenge like Inter, withstanding the immense pressure.
Not to mention the brilliant contribution to the national team, the selector Gennaro Gattuso being in love with Pio Esposito and slowly propelling him into the Squadra Azzurra”, writes Tuttosport today.
Francesco Pio Esposito has 8 matches, 2 goals and 1 assist at Inter / Photo: Imago
Sportmediaset found out the new nickname that Esposito received right after scoring the goal against Lecce. Marcus Thuram shouted to the Nerazzurra crowd of joy, joined by Chivu, “The lead”. A reference to Pio's great stature and strength.
Inter will also extend Yann Bisseck's contract by one year
However, he is not the only Inter player whose contract will be renewed in the coming weeks. Satisfied with the rise he has registered in recent months, the Serie A leader will extend his collaboration with Yann Bisseck.
The German's contract was extended in the autumn until 2029 and his salary was doubled from 750,000 to 1.5 million euros net annually.
Yann Bisseck, the 24-year-old and 1.96m German stopper, played 4 matches and 337 minutes under Cristi Chivu at Inter, scoring an assist / Photo: Imago
Inter rejected a 35 million euro offer from Crystal Palace in the summer and are now proposing another year of commitment with a financial bonusa sign of the importance acquired by the 25-year-old stopper, taken in 2023 for 7 million euros from Aarhus.
