Real Madrid's Pursuit of Bastoni as Mourinho Seeks Final Pieces
Preseason is a week away at Real Madrid, and the squad Jose Mourinho will actually coach is still not fully built. The departures have started, the arrivals have begun, but the puzzle is missing key pieces in the spine.
Dani Ceballos, Dani Carvajal and David Alaba have already said their goodbyes, clearing salary and space in the dressing room. It is not enough. Not for Mourinho, and not for a club that measures seasons in trophies, not transitions.
Four signings are already through the door, yet the message from the bench is clear: one more centre-back, one more midfielder. The market work is not a luxury; it is a necessity.
Bastoni at the centre of the plan
In defence, the target is no mystery. Alessandro Bastoni sits at the top of Madrid’s list.
According to SPORT, via journalist Fabio Gatto, Real Madrid are preparing to contact Inter Milan this week to formally ask about the Italian’s situation and starting price. The intention is to move quickly, test Inter’s stance and accelerate negotiations before preseason rhythm takes over and complicates business.
Bastoni is not pushing quietly, either. The defender has already rejected a renewal proposal from Inter that included a pay rise, a clear signal that he is ready for a change of scenery and has set his sights on the Bernabéu. Inter, Serie A champions and under no obligation to sell cheaply, are expected to value him at around €65 million.
For Madrid, the attraction is obvious. A left-footed centre-back of high level to balance a group dominated by right-footers, someone who can naturally open the pitch, build from the back and complement the existing options. On a tactical board, he fits perfectly.
On the squad list, it is more complicated.
Crowded backline, hard choices
Real Madrid already have 11 defenders under contract. To bring Bastoni in, someone has to go. Probably more than one.
The club is working on the exits of a centre-back and a left-back, with Fran Garcia and Raul Asencio identified as the primary candidates to make way this summer. Only by freeing up places in the backline can they justify and register a major signing in that area.
This is the balancing act facing the hierarchy: reshape the defence without destabilising it, satisfy Mourinho’s demand for a left-footed pillar, and do it all before the squad gathers in full for preseason.
Midfield question still unanswered
While the Bastoni operation takes shape, the midfield file remains open and unresolved.
Two options have already slipped away. The doors to Matues Fernandes and Enzo Fernandez have closed, forcing Madrid to rethink their approach in the middle of the park. The need remains, the name does not.
So the club moves on two fronts: negotiate with Inter for Bastoni, and sift through alternatives for a midfielder capable of lifting the level immediately. Time is ticking. The calendar does not wait.
Mourinho will walk onto the training pitch in a few days. The question is simple, and ruthless: will the squad in front of him already carry the imprint he wants, or will Real Madrid be racing the clock, still chasing Bastoni and a missing midfielder as the new season looms?
