Alessandro Bastoni, a “Milan fan,” in white: it’s chaos
In 2026, Alessandro Bastoni has often—and reluctantly—found himself in the headlines. The Inter defender is going through another difficult phase following the incident in February, when—after convincing referee La Penna to send off Juventus’ Kalulu—he celebrated joyfully upon seeing the red card, and the one that began on March 31, when he could think of nothing better than to get himself sent off in the first half of Bosnia vs. Italy—the match in Zenica that sealed yet another failure by the Azzurri to qualify for the World Cup.
A new social media controversy has erupted in recent hours following *La Gazzetta dello Sport*’s headline on the incident involving him and the image chosen by the newspaper: the text is in red and black, and the shirt worn by the player is not an Inter jersey but a plain white T-shirt.
The controversy surrounding Bastoni has not, however, deterred top European clubs from taking an interest in him. In recent weeks, Real Madrid has made a concrete offer for the defender, with José Mourinho identifying him as a top priority to rebuild the Blancos’ backline. Real Madrid, already major players in a very active summer transfer window with the signings of Konaté, Bernardo Silva, Cucurella, and former Inter player Dumfries, are said to have put Bastoni at the top of their wish list. Inter’s asking price is around 70 million euros, a figure that Real Madrid might try to lower by including French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga in the deal, as he is considered outside of Mourinho’s technical plans.
Before Real Madrid, Barcelona had also knocked on Inter’s door, only to back off later. According to Diario Sport, Blaugrana coach Flick decided to shift his focus to a player with different characteristics than those of the left-footed defender, also deeming the 70 million valuation set by President Beppe Marotta excessive. This pause, at least temporarily, had brought a sigh of relief to the Nerazzurri camp, with Bastoni himself seeming inclined to stay after the Scudetto celebration.
Beppe Bergomi had also publicly defended Bastoni in the midst of the post-Juve controversy. The former Nerazzurri captain, interviewed by La Repubblica, had come to his defense without, however, excusing his mistakes: “In addition to his physical problems, he has been subjected to unjustified public shaming. He made mistakes, but he has taken responsibility for them. Whether he stays or not will depend on the offers. He’s a valuable player; we can’t just sell him off cheaply.” Journalist Maurizio Pistocchi, speaking on CRC, also urged caution in judging the defender: “He made a mistake and apologized; we shouldn’t put a player on trial for his intentions like this. In Italy, there are more divers than goal scorers.”
