Bastoni shines for Italy after Barcelona pass on summer move | OneFootball

Barcelona tracked Alessandro Bastoni last summer but prioritised other areas and signed no centre-back, and the Inter defender has since impressed for Italy during the break.

Sport in Catalonia said Bastoni was among Barça’s most admired options and called him a “missed opportunity”, citing his fit with Hansi Flick. Real Madrid studied a move, yet never tabled an offer.

Inter shut the door, refusing to negotiate for anything short of a fee approaching €80m. Bastoni stayed and remains central to the Nerazzurri project.

He has re-established himself as a pillar of Inter’s defence, leading the back line and anchoring their build-up play. He has also added a rarer facet, goals.

During the current international break he scored in both Italy matches, first against Türkiye in a 4-1 win. He then struck against France, securing a 1-1 draw.

Goals have not defined his career, he scored only two for Inter in 40 games last season. Early in this campaign he is finding the net more readily with the Azzurri.

Source: Goal.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”