When could Barella and Calhanoglu return to action for Inter?

Nicolo Barella and Hakan Calhanoglu have been unavailable for several weeks, but Sunday’s reports claim that Cristian Chivu is now close to recovering two of his star Inter midfielders.

Barella and Calhanoglu nearing Inter returns

Barella has missed Inter’s last four matches across all competitions, including the last two in Serie A, while Calhanoglu has been unavailable since mid-January, missing out on five Serie A matches, two in the Champions League and one in the Coppa Italia.

However, according to Sunday’s reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport, both are just around the corner from a return to first-team action.

MILAN, ITALY – OCTOBER 29: Hakan Calhanoglu of FC Internazionale celebrates after scoring their team’s third goal during the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and ACF Fiorentina at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on October 29, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The Pink Paper claims that both Barella and Calhanoglu could potentially return to group training when the rest of the squad returns to Appiano Gentile on Tuesday. The squad is in league action against Sassuolo on Sunday and is expected to take a day off on Monday.

The hope is that both could be part of the matchday squad to take on archrivals Juventus in the Derby d’Italia on Saturday.

Denzel Dumfries, meanwhile, is still expected to be unavailable for a touch longer, until March, but potentially even sooner.