Mikel Arteta identifies Arsenal’s next €100m signing

Arsenal are reportedly set to rival Barcelona and Liverpool in the race to sign Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni during the 2026 summer transfer window.

The Italy international has just over two years remaining on his current contract at San Siro and it has been widely reported that Cristian Chivu’s side are locked in negotiations over a new deal with his representatives.

Rumours in Italy suggest that Bastoni is likely to agree fresh terms with the Serie A giants, however a new contract has not yet been finalised and interest in his services has intensified ahead of the upcoming summer window.

Barcelona have earmarked the 26-year-old as their priority centre-back target for this summer, while Liverpool are also eager to sign him following their failure to sign Marc Guehi last year.

The Reds face the prospect of losing Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer when his contract expires in July and they are therefore in the market for at least one new central defender this summer, with Virgil van Dijk likely to depart on a Bosman deal in 2027.

However, both clubs are set to face competition from Arsenal, according to a shock report from CaughtOffside.

Arsenal want Alessandro Bastoni

Arsenal already boast an impressive defensive roster and FootballTransfers understands they are in negotiations to make Piero Hincapie’s loan move from Bayer Leverkusen a permanent one this summer.

But, they have now reportedly added Bastoni to their transfer wishlist for 2026, despite the fact that Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba have formed a formidable centre-back partnership over the past few years.

Inter will demand a fee of at least €90-100 million for the Italy superstar, as per CaughtOffside, and it’s understood they have no intention of allowing Bastoni to depart ahead of the 2026-27 season.

Both Chelsea and Manchester City are also keeping a watchful eye ahead of a potential summer move, although they remain behind Arsenal, Barcelona and Liverpool in the race for his signature.

Bastoni has racked up a total of 291 first-team appearances for Inter since his arrival from Atalanta in 2017 and his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) currently stands at €76.1m.

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