Barcelona transfer news: Alessandro Bastoni responds to Blaugrana links as Hansi Flick looks to solve 'major' issue

Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni has said that he is "happy" at San Siro amid reports of transfer interest from Barcelona.

The La Liga champions are widely expected to sign a new centre-back during next summer's transfer window due to their issues in that area of the field this season.

Bastoni has been consistently linked with a switch to Camp Nou, with the Italy international thought to be at the very top of the Catalan outfit's transfer shortlist.

The 26-year-old has said that he is "proud" to be linked with a club of Barcelona's ilk, but the defender insisted that he is "happy at Inter" and not looking for an exit.

“It makes me proud to see links, it means I’m doing well - but there’s zero, nothing,” Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano quotes Bastoni as saying. “I’m happy here at Inter and I have zero issues or problems here. I don’t even focus on the news.”

Bastoni "happy" at Inter amid Barcelona speculation

Bastoni has again been an important player for Inter during the 2025-26 campaign, featuring on 19 occasions in all competitions, scoring once and providing four assists.

The Italian started his professional career with Atalanta BC before making the move to Inter in 2017, and he has represented his current side on 277 occasions in all competitions.

The 6ft 3in defender has a contract at San Siro until June 2028, placing Inter in a strong position when it comes to any potential negotiations.

Barcelona have struggled defensively this season

Barcelona have once again been impressive in the final third of the field this season, which is not a surprise considering their immense talent in that area of the pitch.

However, it has been a struggle at the back, with Hansi Flick's side conceding 20 times in their 17 La Liga matches, which is the most in the top six.

Only two teams in the top 13 in La Liga have conceded more times than Barcelona this term, while the Catalan side have also let in 11 in their six Champions League matches, which has heavily contributed to them being down in 15th spot in the overall table.

Ronald Araujo remains unavailable for selection, as he prioritises his mental health, so Pau Cubarsi, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia and Gerard Martin will be the centre-back options for Sunday's La Liga clash with Villarreal.