Jamie Carragher slammed 'daft' Alessandro Bastoni as Liverpool keen on transfer

Alessandro Bastoni is being linked with a possible summer transfer to Liverpool, and the Reds have already had a close look at him in a Champions League game earlier this season

Alessandro Bastoni of Inter Milan(Image: 2026 Mattia Pistoia - Inter)

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher previously criticized Alessandro Bastoni – and now the Reds are reportedly interested in signing the Inter Milan defender.

Bastoni is among Serie A's most highly regarded center-backs, and Liverpool is expected to move to sign at least one new center-back during the summer transfer window.

Caught Offside reports that Liverpool, Arsenal and Barcelona are among the clubs that are interested in signing Bastoni. The 26-year-old is a key player for Inter and is contracted to the San Siro club until 2028, so the Reds would have to produce a huge offer in order to tempt Inter to do business.

Bastoni's ability to carry the ball out from the defense makes him a desirable target for top teams, which usually start their attacks by playing out from the back.

Liverpool has already had a look at Bastoni this season, when the Reds faced off against Inter in the Champions League last December.

That game was settled by a late Dominik Szoboszlai penalty, after it was ruled that Bastoni had fouled Florian Wirtz in the area.

It was widely agreed that the decision was soft, but at the time Carragher questioned why Bastoni had given the referee a decision to make in the first place.

"I’d be very disappointed if this went against me or my team," Carragher said on CBS Sports.

Liverpool was awarded a penalty when Wirtz went down under a challenge from Bastoni(Image: Getty Images)

"What I’d say is, I don’t think that’s a penalty, but if I were an Inter Milan player or the manager, I’d say, ‘What are you doing grabbing his shirt and giving the referee a decision to make?’

"I don’t think it’s a penalty, but just don’t pull his shirt. It’s not like he’s pulling him back because he’s going through on goal.

"He [Wirtz] has got his back to goal; he’s going nowhere. He [Bastoni] only has himself to blame there, but I do think it was a bit harsh.

"[Manuel Akanji] said about his own player, ‘What are you doing grabbing his shirt in the box like that?’.

"It’s daft, isn’t it? It’s not like it’s a panic where someone’s going through on goal and you do something instinctively. I think it’s harsh, but he gave the referee an opportunity [to award the penalty]."

Last week, Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella bemoaned that penalty decision after Inter was knocked out of the Champions League by Bodo/Glimt in the play-off round — a round that the Nerazzurri would have avoided had it picked up an extra point during the league phase.