Real Madrid's Pursuit of Bastoni Complicated by Asensio Injury
Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho are reportedly interested in signing Italy international Alessandro Bastoni. However, an injury sustained by Raul Asensio has complicated any potential transfer for the Inter Milan centre-back.
Asensio's Injury Makes Bastoni's Move to Madrid Unlikely
Bastoni has been linked with both Barcelona and Real Madrid during the off-season. Recent reports from Spanish outlet AS indicate that Mourinho is seeking two new signings this summer, one for midfield and one for the centre-back position, with Bastoni being his preferred defensive target.
For Madrid to acquire a new centre-back, they would need to offload existing players, as they already have five high-earning centre-backs: Asensio, Antonio Rüdiger, Ibrahima Konaté, Dean Huijsen, and Éder Militão. Militão is currently injured, Konaté recently joined, Huijsen arrived a year ago, and Rüdiger has just signed a contract extension. This suggests that academy product Asensio would be the most likely candidate for sale if Madrid decides to move a defender.
However, Real Madrid has confirmed that Asensio has suffered a muscular injury that is expected to sideline him for approximately six weeks.
Consequently, a departure for Asensio before the end of the summer transfer window now seems improbable. This development significantly diminishes Real Madrid's prospects of signing Bastoni from Inter Milan.
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