Inter and Italy legend hints that Bastoni should snub Barcelona

Inter and Italy legend Sandro Mazzola believes Alessandro Bastoni should not even consider a move to Barcelona and hopes Lautaro Martinez remains at San Siro forever.

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Former Inter and Italy star Mazzola advises Bastoni against joining Barcelona.

The Italian centre-back is said to be eager to join the Catalans in the summer, even though formal talks between the two clubs haven’t even started.

According to Italian sources, one reason for Bastoni’s potential exit over the summer is the hostile reception he receives at Italian stadiums following an incident that led to a red card for Pierre Kalulu during Inter-Juventus in February.

Mazzola: Bastoni should not join Barcelona from Inter

“What has he done that’s so serious? Mistakes can happen; every player on every team makes them, but only Inter players get this kind of treatment,” Mazzola told Gazzetta.

“The only thing I can say to him is: keep your head up and get back to work straight away.”

Asked on whether Bastoni should consider leaving Inter, the Nerazzurri legend replied: “Where should he go? Milan is even more beautiful than Barcelona. If Luisito [Suarez] were still around, he would have confirmed that too.”

Mazzola went on to say that Italian players in the Inter team “excite” him, “even though we failed to qualify for the World Cup, and that’s a huge pain,” he noted.

“Not so much for me, since I’ve played and seen many of them, but for my grandchildren, who can’t dream like kids used to. This time we were a bit unlucky, especially our Inter defender [Bastoni].”

Just as he hopes Bastoni, who is contracted with Inter until 2028, won’t leave the club in the summer, Mazzola wishes that Lautaro Martinez would stick around until the end of his career.

“We can only hope he stays with us for life,” the 70-year-old concluded.

Argentines sometimes want to return home, but Lautaro shouldn’t get any strange ideas. In time, he’ll surpass Altobelli in the number of goals, and just getting close to Meazza would already be an incredible achievement.”