Alessandro Bastoni will cost in excess of £43.5m should any club wish to sign the Italy international this summer, reports Fabrizio Romano.
Barcelona are understood to be leading the charge at this point in time, with negotiations having taken place with the centre-back’s camp.
The Blaugrana allegedly plan to drop the fee required to land the 26-year-old by using Dani Olmo as a makeweight in talks, claims El Nacional (via Sempre Inter).
The key factor to bear in mind here is that Barcelona have yet to open talks with Inter Milan.
“For Barcelona, there are no doubts about the quality of Alessandro Bastoni as a player after what he’s shown with Inter Milan in recent years,” Romano said on his eponymous YouTube channel.
“For sure, Barcelona want Bastoni. For sure, Barcelona are in contact with Bastoni’s camp. Exchanges on the contract, the salary, have already started.
“But, Barcelona, at this stage, don’t know how much Inter will ask for Alessandro Bastoni in the summer. A club-to-club negotiation has not started yet.
The La Liga giants’ interest in Bastoni has been well-established, with Barca chief Deco having personally visited over the “last four-five months” to maintain contact.
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And judging by the lack of noise coming out of the player’s camp on the subject, it would seem that the Italian is at the very least open to the idea of a move to Catalonia.
Inter Milan have not clarified exactly how much money they’re looking for before sanctioning Bastoni’s exit this summer.
However, a figure in excess of £43.5m will evidently be required to reach some sort of starting point in negotiations.
Fabrizio Romano continued: “Inter, at the moment, are not communicating any price – only that €50m [£43.5m] won’t be enough to get Alessandro Bastoni.
“Let’s see what will happen in club-to-club. But important money [will be needed] for the centre-back.”
With that in mind, we’re struggling to understand exactly how Barcelona plan to sign the centre-half, given their well-documented financial struggles.
Frankly, we’re far from convinced by their reported plans to offer a player swap plus cash deal. Especially if the plan is to tempt Inter with Olmo, that’s a deal that hardly leaves the Milanese club in anything resembling a strong position after the deal.
If Liverpool want to enter the race for Bastoni, we think they’d have a good chance of beating out Barca.
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