First Barcelona offer for Alessandro Bastoni falls short – Report | OneFootball

In the last few days, links associating the Italian defender Alessandro Bastoni to FC Barcelona have strengthened significantly, and it is looking increasingly likely that he will be the ultimate candidate to reinforce the Blaugrana backline for the next season.

The Inter Milan centre-back is reportedly open to moving to the Catalan capital and starting a new chapter in his career, and both clubs have already made initial contact to begin negotiations.

In fact, according to a report from Sport Mediaset (via SPORT), the Catalans have already made their first offer for the center-back, reaching up to €45 million, which has been rejected by the Italian side.

The Nerazzurri are asking for €60 million, and thus, the two sides might have to negotiate for some time to reach an agreement for his signing.

The defender’s current contract with the Italian club goes till 2028, and he is earning €5 million currently. Barcelona have offered him €7 million annually, thus his wages would be increased significantly if he signs for the Catalan side.

Bastoni’s current situation makes the timing favorable for Barcelona. The defender is facing a challenging phase in his career, having been sent off in Italy’s World Cup qualifying play-off against Bosnia, which saw Italy fail to qualify for the Mega event.

He has also been involved in controversy following an incident against Juventus that led to a red card for Kalulu. These events have caused his popularity in Italy to nose-dive, and this can turn out to be an important factor pushing him to Barcelona this summer.