Why Arsenal, Liverpool and Barcelona want to fight it out for Inter's Alessandro Bastoni

[p]Given the amount of money involved, the sheer scale of representatives involved on all sides and having to ensure that financial and other contract terms are fully agreed before pen is put to paper, it would be remiss of the elite clubs in world football to leave things until the last minute.[/p][h2]Foundation of transfers happen well before the summer[/h2][p]Some deals do come about in such a manner, of course, be that through pre-season injuries occurring or other more surprising and unexpected developments, but most major targets can be considered to be long-term ones that have come to fruition at some point.[/p][p]When it seems that one particular type of player might be coming up for sale, too, there always appears to be something of a bunfight to get them to sign on the dotted line, even if their club are initially reticent to sell.[/p][embed guid="5bc6fce1-e638-4abb-bbc7-0b44897d051f" url="https://x.com/Inter_en/status/1676599498573742080" social-type="twitter" /][p]We are, of course, talking about when a classy central defender looks to be ready to make their next career move.[/p][p]Quality centre-backs in the modern game are quite thin on the ground, as not only do they need to be dominant aerially and tough in the tackle, but they also need to show poise in possession and be able to begin attacks from their position, and bring the ball out from the back with ease.[/p][h2]A scarcity of elite central defenders[/h2][p]Pace can also be a virtue, as has been shown by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tottenham/UDg08Ohm/"]Tottenham[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-de-ven-micky/rotN6HH8/"]Micky van de Ven[/a], but the ability to play the ball short and long, and with accuracy, has to be up there on the list of priorities for a potential buying club.[/p][p]Of course, the scarcity of a player who possesses all of those attributes means that they won't ever come cheap, which probably accounts for the fact that only the top teams in world football can afford them.[/p][p]Take [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/inter/Iw7eKK25/"]Internazionale[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bastoni-alessandro/On4TkPTN/"]Alessandro Bastoni[/a], for example.[/p][embed guid="945d0ff4-94ea-4f87-b96c-2e43f665151e" url="https://x.com/SerieA_EN/status/1925992667495727479" social-type="twitter" /][p]The 26-year-old's star has continued to rise, and it's therefore no wonder that his club are believed to have put a price of around €100m (£87m) as a starting point for negotiations.[/p][p]Even at that price, it would make him the most expensive defender in the world, a title that is currently held by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/manchester-united/ppjDR086/"]Man Utd[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maguire-harry/xG8v3YRA/"]Harry Maguire[/a], after his £80m move from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/leicester/KrrdAMyI/"]Leicester[/a] to Old Trafford.[/p][h2]Bastoni a replacement for Van Dijk?[/h2][p]Third on the list of most expensive centre-backs (sandwiching [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gvardiol-josko/86K1f1fd/"]Josko Gvardiol[/a]) is [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/liverpool/lId4TMwf/"]Liverpool[/a]'s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-dijk-virgil/U59RNqOr/"]Virgil van Dijk[/a], and it's interesting to note that the Reds could be in the market for Bastoni as the long-term replacement for the Dutchman.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/arsenal/hA1Zm19f/"]Arsenal[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/SKbpVP5K/"]Barcelona[/a] are also understood to be monitoring the situation as the Italian's skill set perfectly aligns with the way that both teams play.[/p][image alt="Radar graphic for Alessandro Bastoni and Virgil van Dijk - Serie A and Premier League 2025/26" id="dddae92a-5c66-4a6a-b66f-e760522c363e" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="4966e9db-f7f5-4486-a95e-e7210d1cbe08" original-width="768" original-height="1152" /][p]It's hard to imagine the Gunners breaking up the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/saliba-william/EgIM3sB7/"]William Saliba[/a]/[a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gabriel/tEcnVXMS/"]Gabriel[/a] partnership, given how successful it's been, however, and Barcelona's transfer output won't really be known until after their upcoming presidential elections.[/p][p]So it could be suggested that, for the moment at least, Liverpool might represent the most sensible move.[/p][h2]How do Bastoni's numbers stack up?[/h2][p]Bastoni has the ability to be calm under even the most intense pressure, and can often be seen to set the tempo of an Inter attack because of the manner in which he's calmly brought the ball out into midfield.[/p][p]The fact that he's comfortable further up the pitch and will distribute with relative ease also adds to his allure.[/p][p]In any event, how do his numbers stack up?[/p][p]With 326 appearances under his belt already in all competitions, he clearly has the requisite experience at the top level.[/p][image alt="Alessandro Bastoni's pass map v Juventus" id="c1dc1fd6-a059-4b4a-8c48-391a4ec9f38a" credit-line="Opta by Stats Perform" guid="904e10d4-5dc5-4ccb-bf25-0229c79e5b9c" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]A cumulative 24,105 minutes played since he signed from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/atalanta/8C9JjMXu/"]Atalanta[/a] have only been topped by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/martinez-lautaro/QHk1CXUh/"]Lautaro Martinez[/a] (25,070) and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/barella-nicolo/W0yrjzz2/"]Nicolo Barella[/a] (26,282), evidencing his clear importance to his team.[/p][p]Bastoni's 5,445 forward passes are the most in the squad in the period since he signed, as are his 17,283 total passes, whilst his 88.6% pass completion stat puts him in the top bracket.[/p][p]When getting higher up the pitch, his 474 total crosses have only been bettered by Barella's 562, and the 812 that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dimarco-federico/W6lypZn3/"]Federico Dimarco[/a] has attempted.[/p][h2]Can Inter keep hold of one of their star players?[/h2][p]He again places third behind Martinez and Barella with 1,966 total one-on-one duels attempted, though his 59.2% success rate is significantly higher than his contemporaries.[/p][p]In terms of ball recoveries, Barella again pips him to the post (1,652 compared to Bastoni's 1,223), and only [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-vrij-stefan/8Cf0NM4a/"]Stefan de Vrij[/a] has won more headed duels (533 to 420).[/p][embed guid="c7006ee1-0d5f-437d-aae8-504c2449d43a" url="https://x.com/Inter_en/status/1917854711958458840" social-type="twitter" /][p]When the defender has played for Inter, he's helped them secure 76 clean sheets in all competitions, the most from any player in the team, and only Barella has both made and won more tackles (513/308 compared to 402/229).[/p][p]For any number of the reasons above, then, it's abundantly clear that Bastoni can improve any team that may have the financial muscle to be able to wrestle him from the Nerazzurri.[/p][p]Let the auction begin![/p][image alt="Jason Pettigrove" id="d8231b1c-e8a4-4121-8ef8-75ade20e58b8" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="24c3045c-239e-4e4e-8431-eedc156749dc" original-width="1200" original-height="380" /]