The Italian Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni once sat firmly on Real Madrid's radar, a target to walk through the Santiago Bernabeu gates as a home player. It was José Mourinho's first wish on returning to lead the Royal club.
Spanish newspaper "AS" said: "In a striking irony resembling what the novelist José Saramago wrote about fate's ability to write straight on crooked lines, Bastoni contests the encounter at the Bernabéu as an opposing player and in an Inter Milan shirt for the ninth consecutive year."
A direct flight to Spain this summer tempted the player, according to the paper, all the more so as he topped the wishlist of a coach who had once steered Inter to an unprecedented treble.
In a world that no longer marries emotion with the language of money, the paper explained, Bastoni became an exception forced by the Nerazzurri's financial demands. The board refused to sell their Italian defender for less than 70 million euros.
Neither side felt any urgency to part ways. Bastoni pledged to stay during the celebrations of the Serie A title, and Inter's asking price matched his quality and leadership.
Proof of that leadership came against Juventus last season. The defender took the flak for going down under a challenge, a fall that earned Pierre Kalulu a second yellow and his marching orders. Bastoni faced the public backlash head on, with the same fighting spirit that defines him on the pitch. That will be his chief weapon against the club he almost joined, in a thrilling contest.
Konaté the preferred option
Real Madrid's own decision sank the Bastoni deal: the signing of French defender Konaté, one of the club's first pieces of business in the last window.
The former Liverpool man arrived on a free after his Reds contract expired, and he was not meant to be the only reinforcement at the back. Asensio's decision to stay and refusal to leave froze plans for a new defender, and the Inter man dropped off the list of targets bound for the Bernabeu.
Given all that, Real Madrid settled for the options they had and added nobody else to the centre of defence. Bastoni, meanwhile, opted to stay another season in Serie A with Inter, despite interest from several clubs beyond the Royal side.
The two parties meet again in the UEFA Champions League, the perfect stage to reignite interest in a blockbuster deal.
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