According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri , Barcelona never really abandoned their pursuit of Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni after a failed move in the summer.
The Blaugrana were keen on signing the Italian international and talks were progressing well. But, ultimately, manager Hansi Flick decided not to go ahead with the deal, leading to the transfer stalling.
Now, they have revived their pursuit of the centre-half, whom they consider their top target.
Despite the transfer falling through in the summer, Barcelona never ended their interest in Bastoni completely.
Indeed, as per the report, the Catalans have remained in contact with the 27-year-old defender's camp since and continue to view him as their priority target to strengthen the backline in January.
During those interactions, the message that has been conveyed between the two parties is that Bastoni remains open to moving to Barcelona and that the Spotify Camp Nou would be his preferred destination if he were to leave Inter Milan.
Bastoni remains open to joining Barcelona. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
After all, he had already agreed a long-term contract until 2031 with the La Liga champions before the move was called off in the summer.
However, the report states that the Italian international would prefer to hold talks with Flick to understand the manager's plans for him and his role in the club's sporting project.
More meetings are expected to take place between Barça and the player's agent to further discuss the situation.
Inter Milan, for their part, would prefer to avoid selling one of their key players, whose contract stands to expire in 2028.
Inter Milan will demand €70m for Bastoni. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
As such, the Nerazzurri have already held talks with his agent and submitted a renewal proposal, although it has been deemed insufficient by the player's camp.
In case of a sale, Inter Milan are demanding a transfer fee of €70 million in order to part ways with Bastoni.
The fee has not dissuaded Barcelona, who are looking at the potential sale of Alejandro Balde in January to free up space for a new centre-back signing.
It will be interesting to see how the story evolves in the coming weeks, with Barcelona reviving their pursuit of Bastoni, who remains keen on making the switch.
