Deco’s top defensive target keen on a move to Barcelona – report | OneFootball

Barcelona are going through a curious moment as far as their transfer market plans are concerned.

The club are clear about their desire to sign a new striker who can replace Robert Lewandowski in the years to come.

At the same time, Barcelona are also in dire need of a new centre-back. They have been linked with a move for Nico Schlotterbeck, but it seems the club are more than fine letting Real Madrid take the charge.

This is perhaps a signal that Barcelona might be eyeing a different strategy, as indicated by Diario SPORT.

Deco eyeing a move for Bastoni

As per the Spanish news outlet, Deco’s plans for Barcelona’s defensive reinforcements don’t revolve around Schlotterbeck.

It appears Barcelona prefer Bastoni over Schlotterbeck. (Photo by Simone Arveda/Getty Images)

Instead, the Barcelona sporting director is planning a move for Alessandro Bastoni, who has been heavily linked with a move to Catalonia as well.

The report adds that Barcelona are actively trying to approach the Italian international, regarded as one of the best defenders in Serie A.

Bastoni wants to join Barcelona

Perhaps a more important piece of information is that Bastoni is apparently keen on joining Barcelona.

Barcelona, though, are yet to reach an agreement with Inter Milan, which could be the difficult part given that the Italian giants have no desire to offload their star defender.

Thanks to Bastoni’s long-term contract, Inter may also have the leverage to hold out for a hefty price-tag for the Italian international, making things all the more difficult for Barcelona.

Reports suggest Deco is ready to accommodate new signings by selling a few of Barcelona’s existing stars. Whether or not Bastoni is part of this strategy remains to be seen.