Inter Milan are in the middle of a squad refresh despite dethroning Juventus and winning the Serie A title. However, that does not mean they aren’t open to doing business.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Nerazzurri are interested in Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba and are open to a swap deal for the Spain captain. The report states that the Catalans could be tempted if the right player is offered.
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Some of the players that interest Barcelona are Lautaro Martinez, Milan Skriniar and Marcelo Brozovic.
Barcelona wanted the Inter Milan striker a couple of seasons ago to strengthen their attack but were unable to come to terms on a deal with the Italian side. Martinez formed a strong partnership with Romelu Lukaku but could relish playing with Argentina teammate Lionel Messi.
Despite already signing Eric Garcia, Barcelona are still in the market for another center-back. Skriniar could be someone they have their eyes on. Especially if they are successful in moving on both Samuel Umtiti and Clement Lenglet.
Brozovic is seen as a possible replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum who the club ended up losing to Paris Saint-Germain. He’d fill that hole set for Wijnaldum and possibly the one being left by Miralem Pjanic.
Inter Milan would need to convince Jordi Alba to join.
Speculation as to who would be going Barcelona’s way is fine but no deal can take place unless Alba agrees to join Inter.
According to ESPN, the left-back is content at Barcelona and has no intention of leaving the club. But they confirm Barcelona would be open to a swap deal. The only difference is the player they would be interested in is defender Alessandro Bastoni.
The 22-year-old has quickly risen up the ranks at Inter Milan and is a part of the Italy squad for Euro 2020.
Both clubs find themselves in similar situations with cutting the wage bill at the top of their priority list. With initial reports that Alba is not considering a move away, reaching an agreement is going to be complicated.
The 32-year-old left-back has a contract until 2024 and a €500 million release clause. For better or worse, he is still vital to Barcelona considering his understanding on the pitch with Messi.