Real Madrid are set to intensify their pursuit of Alessandro Bastoni this week, with the move shaped by timing as much as talent. Real Madrid begin pre-season next Monday, and the reports say the club want to move quickly before that point. Inter are the other key part of the picture, because they are not being pushed around on price.
Timing around pre-season
The clearest line from Spain is that Real Madrid would approach Inter for the defender this week. That lines up with the idea that the club want the discussion moving before pre-season starts, rather than letting the situation drift into August.
Bastoni is also said to prefer the Santiago Bernabeu, which gives Madrid a useful edge if they can turn interest into an actual bid. The latest reported rating on him is 6.9, with 77 minutes in his most recent outing, so this is not a case of a player waiting on the sidelines for months.
Madrid's defensive crowding
The awkward part is the squad space. Madrid’s first-team defence is described as 11 players before any Bastoni move, and another report says the group would rise to 12 if he arrived. That leaves the club needing to reduce the size of the defensive roster, with Fran Garcia and Raul Asencio named as possible exits.
Inter's position is not soft either. They value Bastoni at around €65 million, while his market value reportedly reached €80 million last season, and they have already offered him an extension beyond his current deal, which runs to 2028. Bastoni is said to have rejected it.
That is where this stands right now: Madrid want the deal moving this week, Bastoni appears open to it, and the final obstacle is whether the back line can be trimmed quickly enough before pre-season begins next Monday.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →
