The most sought-after piece for Barça's defense

BarcelonaAfter the departure of Iñigo Martínez, Hansi Flick lost much more than a starter and a fundamental piece for his footballing idea: he was left without a left-footed centre-back. The absence of the defender from Ondarroa was particularly noticeable in the first part of the season, when the team left many doubts in defence. Pau Cubarsí, who began to establish himself with Xavi Hernández and was confirmed as an undisputed starter with Hansi Flick, was one of the first to notice it: forced to change his profile in the centre, it was not the same to have Iñigo Martínez as Ronald Araujo as his dancing partner. Finally, the solution the German coach ended up finding was to convert Gerard Martín into a centre-back. The experiment, previously tested in training, was transferred for the first time to a match on November 22nd, which coincided with the return to Camp Nou and ended with a resounding and comfortable 4-0 victory over Athletic Club.

Although the Cubarsí-Gerard pairing has established itself as the most reliable this season, both Flick and the sporting management led by Deco have been working for some time to find a left-footed centre-back who can fill the void left by Iñigo Martínez's move to Saudi Arabia. The name at the top of the list of centre-backs who would fit this profile is that of the 26-year-old Italian defender Alessandro Bastoni. Despite being publicly singled out in Italy in recent days as one of the culprits for the transalpine national team's failure because he was sent off in the 41st minute of the play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which the Italians eventually lost on penalties (1-1, 4-1), the Inter Milan defender is one of the standout centre-backs in European football.

Bastoni, trained in Atalanta's youth academy, stands out for his defensive solidity, but also for having good ball-playing ability and not being afraid to take on responsibility, being decisive in this aspect, qualities that Flick particularly values. Furthermore, despite being a centre-back, this season he has provided six assists and scored two goals. All of this, combined with the experience of having already accumulated over 300 professional matches –56 of them in the Champions League, in which last year he was runner-up after eliminating Barça in the semi-finals– and finding himself at an optimal stage of maturity for playing football –he will turn 27 in a week–, makes him Barça's main target to strengthen the left-centre-back position in the squad. He is also a full international with the Italian national team, having progressed through all youth categories.

The footballer, for his part, would view a move from Inter Milan to the blaugrana side favourably. An agreement between the Catalan club and the player born in Casalmaggiore would not be a problem. In fact, Italian journalist specialized in the transfer market Matteo Moretto has explained that both the club and the player are already in contact negotiating the details of an agreement and that the "footballer is super open to signing for Barça". From the blaugrana club, consulted by ARA, they opt for caution and prefer not to comment on news related to possible transfers, postponing discussions about the transfer market until the end of the season. However, they do not deny the mutual interest between the club and the player to join forces.

The main obstacle to signing Alessandro Bastoni

However, the big hurdle that the blaugrana entity would have to overcome is that Inter Milan agrees to transfer their player for a price that the culé team is willing to pay. Bastoni has a contract until 2028 and a market value of 70 million euros, according to the specialized portal Transfermarkt, a reference space for many clubs in terms of economic valuation of footballers. From Italy, in fact, several media outlets point out that the "nerazzurro" team would not let him go for less, precisely, than 70 million euros. Barça, however, would expect to move in a lower range, between 50 and 60 million euros, playing with variables.

The pressure from the player – who has become the scapegoat because Italy has been left out of the World Cup for the third consecutive time – will be a decisive factor in unlocking negotiations that will not be easy because Inter holds the strong position. The sports press of the transalpine country, however, has already speculated that the Milan team may be scouring the market in search of a replacement for Bastoni, and one of the names they have pointed to is Alessandro Buongiorno, from Naples.