Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published Wednesday, April 29, 2026 7:57 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, April 29, 2026 8:26 p.m.
Alessandro Bastoni (27 years old), the central defender of Cristi Chivu, seems to be too expensive a target for Barcelona, who are far from bidding the amount requested by Inter, 70 million euros. That's why the Catalan press claims that Hansi Flick's formation would turn to Cristian Romero.
The Spanish champions have been looking for a stopper for a long time, with the Blaugrana defense strongly feeling the void left by the departure of Inigo Martinez to Al-Nassr last summer. And he's been eyeing Alessandro Bastoni for a few months, just after the Italian international became the talk of the fans following the famous “Kalulu episode” in the derby with Juventus,
The serious error committed in the qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup followed – the elimination in the first half of the game with Bosnia-Herzegovina in Zenica, a game lost on penalty kicks by the Italian national team – so that increased the pressure on Bastoni, who is increasingly tempted to leave Serie A.
Sport: “Romero is quick, adept at closing down spaces, strong one-on-one against any opponent and aggressive on the mark”
The problem is that Chivu would not want to part with the starter on the left of the Azzurri defense, and Inter set a price that is difficult for Barcelona to reach (at the current financial situation of the Blaugrana club): 70 million euros. The Catalans tried to reduce the amount, proposing more players in exchange. No success!
Cristian Romero (right), Tottenham's aggressive Argentine right-back. Drăgușin's rival in office Photo: Imago
Cotidianul Sport learned that “Meanwhile, Barcelona are protecting themselves and targeting another target for Flick's defense. “Cuti” Romero turned 28 on Monday and is the name that the sporting director is evaluating as an alternative to the possible acquisition of Bastoni, top of the shortlist to strengthen the squad next summer and add proven quality to the center of defence.
6goals and 4 assists was achieved by Cristian Romero this season at Tottenham. The captain has a contract until 2029 and is valued at €50 million on Transfermarkt
The Argentinian has vast experience (he was world champion in Qatar as a starter) and is a born leader. He has the mentality of a winner, with the personality to play up high – like Flick defends – leaving many yards behind. Romero is fast, adept at closing spaces, strong one-on-one against any opponent and aggressive on the mark.”
“There is a belief that the will of the player will prevail. As Bastoni is solely focused on the move to Barcelona”
Currently, Radu Drăgușin's colleague at Tottenham is unavailable. “Cuti cannot help his team in the dramatic fight to avoid relegation, because suffered a sprained collateral ligament in his right knee against Sunderland and will most likely be straight back for the World Cup.” write sport.es.
Alessandro Bastoni is a key player for Cristi Chivu at Inter / Photo: Imago
It was precisely the financial problems that led Deco to keep open alternatives to the transfer of Bastoni. The sporting director is looking for and is already quite advanced in the discussions with the Italian international regarding the contractual terms. The player wants to come to Barça and his club already knows that
Sports, daily from Barcelona
The quoted source reveals that the problem is that Inter will not facilitate the transaction at all, knowing that Bastoni has offers from all over Europe, attracting the interest of major clubs: “For this reason, he has set a starting price of negotiations of 70 million euros, an amount far from Barcelona's liquidity.
There is a belief that in the end the will of the player will prevail. Because he is solely focused on the move to Barcelona, an essential aspect of any acquisition the club will undertake in a summer with greater resources but still going through a financial restructuring.”
