Barcelona remain in active talks to sign Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan, as part of their plans to reinforce the defensive unit.
The Catalans are keen on shoring up their options at the back, particularly when it comes to finding a defensive partner for Pau Cubarsi.
Bastoni fits the bill perfectly, as the Italian international is a left-footed centre-back, who can play the ball out from the back. Barcelona, though, are yet to find any breakthrough in negotiations with Inter Milan.
Will Inter lower their price tag?
A recent report from Fabrizio Romano has offered some interested insights into the Bastoni transfer saga.
The Italian transfer expert suggests Inter Milan’s price-tag for Bastoni starts at €70 million, which is quite problematic for Barcelona.
The Catalans are hoping to close the deal at around €45-50 million – a figure Inter Milan do not see as viable given the player’s calibre.
Bastoni is waiting for Barcelona to make an offer. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Bastoni, for his part, is waiting for Barcelona to make an offer before he asks to leave Inter Milan.
Romano does add that Inter Milan may lower their valuation later but as we are still in the early stages of the summer, the club are not going to lower their current €70 million asking price.
This leaves Barcelona with no choice but to either wait it out before Inter get lenient or look for other alternatives in the market.
Barcelona are looking at another Serie A defender in Evan Ndicka as another alternative, but the former Eintracht Frankfurt star is not the only option the club are looking at.
In recent weeks, the Blaugrana have been linked with moves for Jon Martin as well, even though the Spaniard has recently confirmed he is not keen on leaving Real Sociedad anytime soon.
