Barcelona consider Tottenham defender Vuskovic as Bastoni’s alternative

Barcelona have placed Tottenham Hotspur’s 18-year-old centre-back Luka Vuskovic on a shortlist of defensive reinforcements as they brace for Andreas Christensen’s expected free-transfer exit, AS reports.

With the Catalan club hunting a centre-half to compete with Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin, Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni remains the preferred target. Yet the Italy international’s €70 million valuation may force sporting officials to look elsewhere.

Vuskovic has emerged as the leading fallback option. Spurs paid Hajduk Split roughly €12 million for the teenager last summer before installing him at Hamburg, where he has started 24 Bundesliga matches. Data from those outings show the 6ft 4in defender winning 75 percent of aerial duels and 57 percent of ground duels, while his composure in possession has marked him as one of Europe’s most promising ball-playing centre-backs.

An unexpected bonus has been his threat at set pieces: five goals this season illustrate a knack for timing late runs into the opposition area. Such performances have attracted admiring glances from Bayern Munich, and sources indicate Vuskovic would welcome a move to a Champions League heavyweight should the opportunity arise.

Barcelona must weigh whether to double down on youth—Pau Cubarsi, 17, already features regularly—or prioritise experience and recovery pace to protect their high defensive line. Vuskovic, for all his talent, does not yet offer the leadership or seasoned judgement the coaching staff crave.

Any approach will meet stiff resistance in north London. Tottenham regard Vuskovic as a long-term pillar of their back four and, with Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin all facing uncertain futures, chairman Daniel Levy is expected to demand a premium fee well above the original investment.

Barcelona’s pursuit of Bastoni is unlikely to fade, yet Vuskovic’s name is now firmly in the conversation as the club maps out a pivotal summer rebuild.