Liverpool could take advantage of Barcelona’s rickety finances and steal a march in the race to sign Alessandro Bastoni this summer.
Despite securing the arrival of Jeremy Jacquet in January, the Reds could still be looking to bring in a direct replacement for Ibrahima Konate at the end of the season.
As one of the world’s leading centre-backs, Bastoni would be a dream option for Liverpool, and according to a report from Spanish outlet SPORT, the Reds are ready to fight with Barca to get their man.
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Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo discuss something during Liverpool's Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux (Credit: Getty Images/Catherine Ivill/AMA).
Photo Credit: Getty Images/Catherine Ivill/AMA
Liverpool can outspend Barca for Bastoni
As well as potentially needing to replace Konate, Liverpool have to be on the lookout for a successor to Virgil van Dijk before his contract ends in 2027. Jacquet could be the man, but the Reds could do with a more experienced player to bridge the gap.
Bastoni would be ideal and, according to SPORT, the 26-year-old could be put up for sale by Inter ahead of the summer window. The Italian side are reportedly ready to slap a price-tag of around £60m on their star defender.
Although the high price is said to have been set with the intention of ‘scaring off’ any interested clubs, it is also apparent that Inter will do business if Bastoni himself also pushes to leave.
Alessandro Bastoni in action for Inter during the Serie A match against Lazio at San Siro
Photo by Image Photo Agency/Getty Images
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The scare tactics look like they could work on Barca, with the price reportedly ‘too high’ for the Catalans to reach. Nevertheless, Camp Nou is claimed to be Bastoni’s priority if he is to leave.
Crucially, though, Liverpool are also reported to be interested in the Italy international, and with the Reds said to have ‘much greater financial resources’ than Barcelona, they could use that to their advantage.
Barca may reportedly aim to use player swaps as a way to lower the price, but with Liverpool able to pay Inter in full, that may not ultimately matter.
Spain would appear to be Bastoni’s pick if it was a straight choice. However, if they stump up the cash, surely Liverpool can sway him towards Anfield.
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