Barcelona have been dealt a major setback in their pursuit of Alessandro Bastoni as Inter Milan president Giuseppe Marotta firmly closed the doors on the defender's exit.
The Blaugrana have been assessing the market for defensive reinforcements as they look to strengthen their central defence.
Several names have emerged as potential targets, including Lisandro Martinez of Manchester United and Natan of Real Betis, but Bastoni remains the most highly regarded option on Deco's shortlist.
Barcelona had already explored the signing of the 27-year-old defender in the summer, but Hansi Flick decided to pull the plug on the operation.
But, given the recent injuries in defence and concerns about some of the performances, Bastoni has once again emerged on the agenda at Can Barça .
Barcelona like Bastoni. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
However, Inter Milan president Marotta has dismissed the possibility of Bastoni's departure, dismissing rumours of the Italian defender rejecting their contract proposal and negotiating with Barcelona as false.
"Everything that has been said about Bastoni's alleged refusal to renew his contract and the negotiations with Barcelona is completely false,"Marotta told 365Scores , as quoted by SPORT .
Continuing, the Inter Milan chief added: "We always aim to keep Bastoni in the team and protect him from the temptations of other clubs, as he is one of the cornerstones of our project."
With that, Marotta made it clear that as far as Inter Milan are concerned, Bastoni will not be leaving any time soon.
Inter Milan will not sell Bastoni. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
As mentioned earlier, Bastoni had emerged as Barcelona's priority target to strengthen the defensive unit ahead of the January transfer window.
The 27-year-old is seen as a good fit into Flick's tactical setup while his age and experience at the highest level make him a very enticing target.
It had also been suggested that the Italian international would be open to making the switch to the Spotify Camp Nou , giving Barcelona's hopes a big boost.
However, Marotta has now come out to firmly close the doors on any possible departure for Bastoni. For the situation to change, the player himself may have to request a transfer from Inter while Barcelona would have to shell out a significant transfer fee.
