Fabrizio Romano Update Sparks Centre-Back Conversation
There is always a moment in a season when speculation begins to feel less like gossip and more like planning. For Liverpool, that moment has arrived, carried on the familiar cadence of transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano. On his YouTube channel, Romano suggested that both Alessandro Bastoni and Micky van de Ven could be available for the right fee this summer, words that landed on Merseyside with the force of a starting pistol.
“For Inter Bastoni is an absolutely crucial player, they would ask I think for big, big, big money,” Romano said on his YouTube channel. It was not quite encouragement, not quite dismissal, but it was enough to send Liverpool supporters into familiar arithmetic: ambition versus affordability.
The context matters. Liverpool’s defensive future may hinge on Ibrahima Konate’s contract situation. Should he leave, the club must act decisively. You do not replace a modern centre-half with sentiment. You replace him with quality, and preferably with authority.
Bastoni Brings Authority and Elegance
Bastoni is the kind of defender Liverpool have admired for years. Composed in possession, comfortable stepping into midfield, and sharp enough to read danger before it unfolds, he embodies the modern Italian centre-back. At Inter, he has been a cornerstone of a side chasing honours, ten points clear at the summit of Serie A according to the original report from Rousing The Kop.
There is something reassuring about a defender who does not appear hurried, who treats pressure like a familiar acquaintance. Bastoni’s passing range would suit Liverpool’s build-up play, especially alongside Virgil van Dijk, creating a pairing capable of controlling both tempo and territory.
Yet nothing is simple. Romano made that plain: “This is not an easy deal in terms of negotiations.” Inter will not sell cheaply, nor should they. Bastoni is 26, entering his prime, and Liverpool would be paying for certainty. It is the sort of transfer that signals intent.
van de Ven Offers Pace and Potential
If Bastoni is authority, van de Ven is electricity. Tottenham’s Dutch defender has been among the quickest centre-backs in Europe, a sprinter with a defender’s instincts. Liverpool, who defend high and attack with risk, would value that recovery speed immensely.
Romano hinted at uncertainty in north London. “Cuti Romero and or Micky van de Ven, I don’t see Tottenham selling both of them, but there is obviously a lot of attention in the players,” he explained. In football language, that means opportunity.
van de Ven is younger than Bastoni, still shaping his defensive repertoire. He would cost less, though still significantly. More importantly, he represents a different profile: less polished, more explosive. Liverpool’s recruitment often seeks players on an upward curve. van de Ven fits that template.
Liverpool Strategy Depends on Summer Decisions
What Liverpool do next will define the next defensive cycle at Anfield. Replace Konate with experience, and Bastoni becomes logical. Plan for evolution, and van de Ven offers the raw materials of something special.
Either move would require conviction. Liverpool have historically spent heavily only when persuaded of long-term value. Think Alisson, Van Dijk, or Fabinho. When they strike, they do so with purpose.
Romano’s update is not confirmation, only possibility. Yet possibility matters in football. It frames debate, shapes expectation, and hints at direction. Bastoni or van de Ven would not just be a signing; it would be a statement about Liverpool’s priorities.
There is also the matter of timing. Elite defenders rarely linger on the market. If Liverpool believe either man can anchor their future, hesitation would be costly. And in a Premier League where margins shrink each season, decisive recruitment can be the difference between chasing titles and chasing shadows.
For now, Liverpool watch, calculate, and listen. Romano speaks, fans speculate, and somewhere in the corridors of Anfield, plans are already drawn in quiet ink.
