Arsenal and Barcelona are both weighing up summer bids for Inter Milan centre-half Alessandro Bastoni, according to reports in Italy.
Calciomercato.com claim that the Italian international is being “followed” by the two clubs, but a lot could depend on Inter’s owners.
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Bastoni is regarded as “priceless” due to his importance to the first-team squad, but there would be a temptation to sell if a large enough bid is received.
It seems unlikely that Barca could match the sort of price the Nerazzurri would be looking for. The La Liga champions are hoping to sign a new centre-back, but they are limited in what they can do financially.
What about Arsenal?
The Gunners will have considerable leg room to put an irresistible offer on the table for Bastoni, but you would question whether he would be a top priority.
Gabriel is the club’s first choice in the left-sided centre-back role, and his performances continue to be top drawer.
The presence of Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapie and Myles Lewis-Skelly in the squad means Bastoni wouldn’t be needed at left-back either. Manager Mikel Arteta may have admiration for the player, but the chances of an offer being lodged for the 26-year-old are pretty low.
A young, cheaper player than Bastoni may be targeted instead
Despite the amount of depth the club have on the left-hand side of defence, there is believed to be concrete interest in Real Madrid’s Victor Valdepenas.
The Spanish teenager is a lot less experienced than Bastoni, but he will cost considerably less to sign as well. On top of that, he would not demand regular first-team football straight away.
For that reason, we believe there is a much greater chance of a move being made for Valdepenas than Bastoni this summer.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here