FC Barcelona are in the market for a new centre-back and have identified Alessandro Bastoni as their priority for the position.
The 27-year-old Inter Milan star, for his part, is keen on making the switch. In fact, reports claim that there is already a preliminary agreement over a five-year contract and that the player is now getting tired of waiting for Barcelona to submit an offer to his club.
Hansi Flick yet to fully approve move
Providing an update on the situation, Matteo Moretto reports that Barcelona are still waiting for a definitive approval from manager Hansi Flick before moving forward with the operation.
For sporting director Deco, Bastoni would be the absolute priority target to bolster the defence before the start of the next season.
Barcelona’s priority target. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)
However, the manager is still considering and reflecting on some of the technical aspects of the defender’s game before giving the complete green light.
Barcelona, as things stand, are waiting for the manager’s full approval before they can press ahead with their efforts to sign Bastoni.
Negotiations with Inter MIlan are unlikely to be straightforward either, considering that the Italians are demanding a fee of above €60 million for their mainstay.
Barcelona, for their part, have no intention of going that high for his signing and will look to negotiate a lower price or offer a player in exchange as a makeweight.
Either way, the operation is not at all advanced at this stage and depends on multiple factors, including Flick’s final decision on whether he wants Bastoni or opts for a different profile.
