Barcelona are considering making a swap offer to Inter Milan to secure the services of Alessandro Bastoni, with Jordi Alba going the other way.
According to a report by ESPN, Jordi Alba’s future at Barcelona continues to get more uncertain by the day. Barcelona appear to be open to the prospect of parting ways with the Spaniard to land 22-year-old Italian international Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan in the summer transfer window.
Alba returned to Barcelona in the summer of 2012 in the wake of impressive performances for Valencia as well as the Spanish national side at the triumphant UEFA Euro 2012 campaign. Since then, the 32-year-old has only gone from strength to strength, with forgettable moments for club and country coming few and far between.
2020/21 also proved to be a solid campaign for Alba, who produced returns of 5 goals and 15 assists in 49 appearances across all competitions. However, the veteran defender’s future at Barcelona is as uncertain as it has ever been, owing to the financial constraints of the Catalan club, who are desperate to reduce their wage bill this summer.
Such a development has alerted Inter Milan, who are in the market for a left-sided defender following the departure of Ashley Young this summer. In addition, Aleksandar Kolarov and Ivan Perisic are also facing an uncertain future at San Siro, meaning Alba is surely a viable target for the Italian champions.
However, with the Nerazzurri themselves in a precarious financial situation, it might be a prudent option to be involved in a part-exchange deal, which they are open to this summer. And Barcelona are going one step ahead on that front, with the Blaugrana likely to propose a straight swap for Alba and Alessandro Bastoni.
The 22-year-old has steadily grown in stature at Inter Milan over the last couple of seasons, with former manager Antonio Conte bringing the best out of him. His progress has not gone unnoticed either, with Barcelona among the clubs to have shown an interest in the Italian international.
Barcelona’s interest in Bastoni is not unfounded despite the addition of Eric Garcia this summer, as Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti could both be on the chopping block this summer. Bastoni, to that end, would be the ideal long-term replacement at Camp Nou, with the Italian international also comfortable in a three-man central defensive setup.
Meanwhile, Barcelona are also in the market for a left-back regardless of what the future holds for Alba. What now remains to be seen is if the Catalan outfit and Inter Milan do engage in a swap deal involving Alba and Bastoni. Barcelona might definitely fancy their chances, owing to their strong working relationship with the Serie A champions.