Inter Milan officials have reacted with derision to the persistent rumors that Barcelona are only willing to pay €50 million to sign Alessandro Bastoni this summer, according to the renowned Italian newspaper Tuttosport.
The Italian star is Barcelona’s top target to bolster their central defense, and Inter are open to selling him, but they want to generate a substantial fee to rebuild the Nerazzurri for next season.
Inter are not taking Barcelona seriously!
In recent days, Barcelona reached a near-agreement with Bastoni on personal terms, and it was reported that the player gave the green light for the Barça management to enter into formal negotiations with Inter.
Barcelona published news in their affiliated newspapers about Joan Laporta’s administration’s intention to submit a total offer of €50 million to buy Bastoni, which sparked considerable ridicule within the club’s offices at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, as this figure is considered ludicrous and bears no relation to the player’s true value.
Inter Milan officials are aware of Barcelona’s dire financial situation, and while relations with the Blaugrana are good, there’s no justification for significantly reducing the value of one of the world’s best center-backs, especially given his long-term contract and the lack of pressure on the club to let him go.
Inter sets two conditions for Bastoni’s sale
While Inter’s management is open to selling Bastoni, they have also set two non-negotiable conditions for agreeing to his departure, according to Tuttosport.
The first condition is that Bastoni himself must approach the management and explicitly express his desire to leave, which hasn’t happened yet.
Inter Milan is also not convinced that the player will decide to leave, especially since the option of renewing his contract and staying to lead the team in the future, and even becoming Inter’s captain in the not-too-distant future, remains on the table and attractive to him.
Furthermore, the Italian club will reject any offer below €60 million, plus easily achievable bonuses of €10 million.
A €70 million defense seems a price tag beyond Barcelona’s current reach, especially as the Catalan club is simultaneously working to sign a world-class striker. They have already ruled out Julian Álvarez due to Atlético Madrid’s €100 million asking price.
Barcelona identifies its first two targets for next summer
Bastoni wants to leave Italy
The newspaper noted that Bastoni has likely made up his mind to leave Inter and Serie A altogether, particularly given the fierce media and fan backlash he has faced since his red card against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a major factor in Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Bastoni believes the barrage of insults and abuse he has recently endured makes him desperately need a fresh start outside of Serie A, especially since he has already achieved everything with Inter.
This gives Barcelona hope, along with initial talks between Deco and the player’s representatives, that Bastoni himself might pressure Inter to lower his asking price.
It should be noted that Barcelona is not the only club interested in Bastoni, as the player has been linked with more than one club in the English Premier League, in addition to special interest from Paris Saint-Germain. All of these clubs have financial capabilities, whether in terms of the salary the player would receive, or the value paid to Inter, that far exceed Barca’s.
