Inter market, Spain exposes itself: yes to Barcelona’s Alessandro Bastoni

Inter Milan soccer market: Alessandro Bastoni could really be in his last months in the Nerazzurri, with the concrete prospect of wearing the blaugrana colors of Barcelona next season. That the Catalan club has been interested in the Lombard defender for some time is certainly not news, but the fact that the Iberian press has been overbearingly vocal about the deal is. Going so far as to claim that the 1999-born center-back has already said yes to the transfer just as the two decisive matches for Italy’s possible 2026 World Cup qualification straddle.

Talking about it is a source that is anything but irrelevant, being ‘Marca’. The emblazoned Madrid-based newspaper spoke about Bastoni on Saturday, reporting that the defender has reportedly already told Barcelona that he is willing to accept a possible offer, moreover yet to be formulated. In fact, the same sports newspaper admits that the Blaugrana management has not yet started any negotiations with Inter. It is believed, however, that they wanted to screen the player’s will first: proof of this would be several recent trips to Milan by Deco, the current culé’s ds.

Bastoni is one of the symbols of today’s Inter, but there are numerous factors that the various parties could consider in order to move the operation forward. The first concern the defender himself, who at 27 years old is reaching the height of maturity and could be tantalized by an adventure in the Spanish La Liga and with a jersey as prestigious as that of Barcelona. He could moreover put behind him the heavy climate that was generated after the Kalulu case and that still causes heavy protests against him in the stadiums of half of Italy.

An additional aspect is purely tactical, and concerns Inter instead. Bastoni, since his days at Atalanta, has grown as a defender who gives his best in a three-man rearguard. His coach Cristian Chivu, on the other hand, has long been tempted by a switch to a four-man defense, a system that, however, penalizes his key man in front of goal. His eventual departure could therefore spark a small revolution in the Nerazzurri.

Moreover, Bastoni’s eventual sale would bring no small amount of treasure into Inter’s coffers. Bastoni’s tag is not currently worth less than 60 million, but the meneghino club could try to raise the demand close to 70. This would allow the inclusion in the operation of a technical counterpart from Barcelona. Perhaps Gerard Martín, who the Milan cousins also like a lot.