Deco ‘aware’ Serie A star wants to join Barcelona this summer

Barcelona have not invested money in a central defender since Jules Kounde three years ago, who has ended up playing right-back for the time being. There is some suggestion that this could change this summer though, with Hansi Flick’s side struggling for options.

Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia and Pau Cubarsi all arrived for free, while Ronald Araujo cost the club just €1.2m from Uruguay some time ago. Inigo Martinez has come and gone on a free transfer in the meantime, but the Catalan giants have looked short at the back since. Although their main target for next summer appears to be a number nine, a central defender also seems to be high on their list of priorities.

Deco aware that Bastoni wants to join Barcelona

One of the names mentioned in December as one of their top targets for the summer, alongside Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol, was Alessandro Bastoni. The Italian defender was seen liking posts linking him with a move to Barcelona on Instagram, but did then come out to cool speculation, saying that he was happy at Inter.

According to Diario AS, Barcelona Director of Football Deco is aware that Bastoni would be keen on a move to the Catalan giants if they could pull a deal off. The 26-year-old fits the profile of a left-footed defender that Barcelona have been searching for, and in the summer will have spent nine years at Inter.

Flick: "Slavia are a team that want to attack and have the mentality for it. I have no doubts that it will be a tough match, this is the Champions League. Tomorrow it will be important to stay well focused on the transitions."

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) January 20, 2026

A fantasy deal with Inter?

The finances of the deal represent a major question mark for Barcelona though, with Inter in no rush to sell. Bastoni has three years left on his deal, and the lowest price that Inter may consider a deal at, if Bastoni were to push for it, is €65-70m. This would represent Barcelona’s most expensive signing since Antoine Griezmann in 2019. In addition to persuading Inter into a deal, Liverpool are also evaluating Bastoni as a potential long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk, and would be able to offer far more in both transfer fee and salary.

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