Barcelona have made little secret of their interest in Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni, and it seems he is their priority to strengthen their backline this summer. However Director of Football Deco will have to prepare for alternative scenarios where the deal does not come off, or is impossible, as he heads into another transfer market without guarantees on his budget.
Reports in Italy state that Barcelona have already started negotiating for Bastoni, and have made a first offer for him. That offer is some way short of Inter’s demands though, and the two sides will have to negotiate hard to reach a deal. The Blaugrana do have alternatives shortlisted though.
Barcelona linked with cut-price alternative to Bastoni
According to Il Resto del Carlino, as quote by Tutto Bologna, Barcelona are also looking at Colombian defender Jhon Lucumi as a potential alternative to Bastoni. The Bologna man is set to be granted an exit for around €25m this summer, and has a number of sides interested, with just a year remaining on his deal.
Premier League and Turkish interest in Lucumi
The report goes on to say that both Bournemouth and Sunderland are looking at Lucumi too, with the latter having made a move for him last year. In Turkiye, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray are supposedly interested in him too. Given the number of sides mentioned, it suggests that this is the earlier stages of interest, and perhaps comes from an agent.
🚨 FC Barcelona are planning two significant sales this summer to fund the arrival of key targets like Julián Álvarez and Alessandro Bastoni. Deco has marked Ferran Torres and Marc Casadó as the primary candidates to leave the club. [@DBR8] 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/zEedtsw2Bv
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) April 7, 2026
Background on Jhon Lucumi
Barcelona were first linked with the 27-year-old in 2024, and Atletico Madrid have also been cited as an interested party within the last year. Left-footed and pacy, Lucumi xame through the esteemed Deportivo Cali youth system, before making a €2.5m move to KRC Genk in 2018. Four years ago, Bologna purchased him for €8m, and as Bologna have made progress into Europe, winning the Coppa Italia, Lucumi’s stock has risen. He is also a regular in Colombia squads, and has earned 35 caps.
Vinicius Jr and Lamine Yamal are two exceptionally talented footballers, but they both suffer from the same, visible, whining and crying disease. They take dives, incessantly on the field, trying to take advantage of their public stardom and notoriety with the officials, then just sit there and pout when savvy officials ignore them, and play on.