Real Madrid Targets Bastoni as Mourinho Prepares for Preseason
With a week to go before preseason begins at Valdebebas, Real Madrid still feel unfinished. Jose Mourinho is preparing to walk back into a dressing room under construction, with key exits confirmed and more surgery planned in defence and midfield.
The club have already drawn a line under the cycles of Dani Ceballos, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba, trimming experience and minutes from a squad that only recently lifted major trophies. Those departures have not closed the chapter, they have opened another problem: depth and balance, especially at the back.
Four signings are already in the bag, but inside the club there is no illusion that the job is done. Mourinho wants two more pieces: a centre-back and a midfielder. The midfield search has become complicated. Paths to Matues Fernandes and Enzo Fernandez have been shut, forcing Madrid to rethink their shortlist at a delicate moment in the market.
The defensive plan, though, is far clearer.
Bastoni at the top of the list
Alessandro Bastoni has emerged as the chosen man for the heart of the back line. A left-footed centre-back, in his prime years, with the profile Madrid have been chasing for seasons to balance a group dominated by right-footers.
According to information relayed by SPORT from journalist Fabio Gatto, Real Madrid intend to contact Inter Milan this week to test the waters. The plan is straightforward: ask the Italian champions what they want to do with Bastoni and where they set the starting price. Madrid want clarity, and they want it quickly. The aim is to move fast and close the operation as soon as possible, before preseason rhythms harden squads and complicate negotiations.
Inter’s stance will be decisive, but Bastoni has already sent his own message.
The defender has turned down a renewal proposal from the Nerazzurri, a deal that would have increased his salary. That refusal has been interpreted in Italy and Spain as a clear signal: he wants a change of scenery, and his objective is to wear white. Inter, Serie A champions, are expected to value him at around €65 million, a figure that reflects his importance and the scarcity of top-level left-sided centre-backs.
Crowded backline, tough decisions
Bastoni’s appeal to Madrid is obvious. A natural left-footer to complement a stable of right-footed central defenders, someone who can open passing angles and help build from the back in Mourinho’s more structured system.
But the numbers do not lie. The defensive unit is bloated. Across full-backs and centre-backs, Madrid are carrying 11 players in the back line. To bring Bastoni in, someone has to go. In fact, more than one.
The club are already working on exits for a centre-back and a left-back to clear space in the squad and on the wage bill. Fran Garcia and Raul Asencio have emerged as the prime candidates to leave this summer, victims of the new hierarchy being drawn up behind closed doors.
This is the reality Mourinho walks into: a giant of Europe, already active in the market, still not settled. One week before the first training session, Real Madrid are trying to reshape a defence on the fly and land a key target from the Italian champions.
If they can prise Bastoni out of Milan and streamline the back line in time, Mourinho’s new Madrid will take shape with a very different spine. If they cannot, the season may begin with questions in the one area where he has always demanded absolute certainty.
