Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni has given Barcelona the green light to proceed with his move to the Catalan club in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Since Iñigo Martínez’s departure from Barcelona to Al-Nassr last summer, a clear problem has emerged in the center-back position, prompting the Barça management to decide to enter the upcoming transfer market aggressively in search of a world-class defender to fill the void left by the Basque star.
Bastoni has long been Barcelona’s preferred option, given his left-footed ability and reliability in building attacks, in addition to his impressive speed, which makes him ideally suited to Hansi Flick’s style of play.
Bastoni gives the green light for his move to Barcelona
According to Marca, Barcelona has begun negotiations with Bastoni on personal terms to finalize his transfer to Camp Nou, before entering into further negotiations with Inter Milan regarding the transfer fee.
Bastoni has agreed to represent Barcelona in the next stage of his career, but a final agreement between the two parties regarding his salary and contract length seems unlikely, especially since the player is very open to the idea of wearing the blue and red jersey and sees it as the ideal step for him at this time.
Following Bastoni’s agreement, the coming days will see discussions between Barcelona’s sporting director, Deco, and his agent to finalize the remaining details, before approaching Inter Milan to explore the possibility of a transfer between the two clubs.
Inter Milan is demanding a hefty sum for Bastoni
At the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, Inter Milan officials are not opposed to selling Bastoni; in fact, they see it as a smart strategic move. They believe the transfer could generate a significant amount of money to use in strengthening the team with other much-needed signings, particularly in attacking positions.
The major obstacle for Barcelona remains Inter Milan’s reluctance to sell Bastoni for anything less than a very high price, initially reported to be €70 million. It seems unlikely that Barcelona can afford such a figure given the financial difficulties they have faced over the past seven years at Camp Nou.
Barcelona’s current hope is that the club can comply with the 1:1 rule in the upcoming summer transfer window, after which paying €70 million or less would no longer be out of the question.
Barcelona identifies alternatives in case the Bastoni deal falls through
In anticipation of the deal collapsing due to the economic situation, Barcelona has already identified three alternative options to Bastoni to bolster their central defense next summer.
The first option, which has become practically impossible, is Nico Schlotterbeek. The German defender is on the verge of renewing his contract with Borussia Dortmund until the summer of 2031, meaning his departure won’t happen before the summer of 2027 at the earliest.
The second and more realistic option is Mike van de Veen, the Dutch defender for Tottenham Hotspur. He possesses exceptional speed and impressive abilities, and given Spurs’ current situation and their impending relegation from the Premier League, his departure is a real possibility and wouldn’t be as expensive as Bastoni or Schlotterbeek.
The final option is Tottenham’s 19-year-old defender Luka Vuskovic, currently on loan at Hamburg. He has attracted interest from several clubs after his impressive performances in the Bundesliga, most notably Bayern Munich.
🚨 There has ALREADY been talks between Bastoni’s entourage and Barcelona about contract details, financial demands and salary. 🇮🇹
[via @FabrizioRomano] pic.twitter.com/jOm346LtS8
— Inter Xtra (@Inter_Xtra) March 27, 2026
Barcelona also wants to sign a striker
It’s worth noting that Barcelona is particularly focused on signing a new striker this summer, as Robert Lewandowski will leave, leaving only Ferran Torres.
In this regard, Barcelona dreams of acquiring the services of Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez and has several alternative options, including Manchester City’s Egyptian star Omar Marmoush.
Barcelona hopes to secure the services of a new striker and a central defender first, before addressing other areas such as a backup goalkeeper and midfielders. Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva remains a strong candidate to wear the Catalan jersey.
