Football.London’s Alasdair Gold has revealed that Tottenham target Alessandro Bastoni is keen to play under Antonio Conte again but added that the centre-back’s future might depend on how desperate Inter Milan are to cash in on him.
Bastoni is thought to be Tottenham’s top target for the left centre-back role ahead of RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol and Torino’s Gleison Bremer (The Athletic).
The Evening Standard revealed on Monday that the centre-back is reluctant to swap the San Siro for the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.
However, the report did add that the Nerrazuri are close to completing a deal to sign Bremer and might need to sell Bastoni to balance the books.
Meanwhile, according to the print edition of Gazzetta Dello Sport, Manchester United could also be about to enter the race for the Inter Milan defender, with Erik Ten Hag thought to be keen on snapping up the Italian.
Gold has now offered a comprehensive explanation on where Tottenham stand in their pursuit of Bastoni, explaining that Inter’s need for funds might work in the North London club’s favour.
When asked during a Q&A on Football.London if the 23-year-old is reluctant to join Spurs, Gold responded: “There’s two sides to this one in that Alessandro Bastoni is understood to be keen to play under Antonio Conte again at some point, but he is happy at the moment at Inter Milan.
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“It’s worth remembering that he only just turned 23 last month so he’s young in terms of his career and uprooting from Italy. For someone like Romero, he had already uprooted from his homeland.
“The key to whether Tottenham can get this deal done may come down to how much Inter need the money and whether they help push Bastoni towards the door, particularly as he has only two years left on his contract.
“The Serie A club want to sign players this summer, not least Gleison Bremer from Torino for around £21m, and if they decide that selling Bastoni for more than £51m can fund more deals then they may help influence his decision.
“Things change quickly in the transfer window.
“It’s a long summer and if Bastoni does dig his heels in and decides it’s not the right moment for a move then Spurs will turn to their other targets.
“I reported the other day that Tottenham really like Josko Gvardiol, although there will be competition for his signature and there are suggestions he would like to stay at RB Leipzig for another season.
“Signing the best players isn’t easy but Paratici and Conte will have their lists of targets.”
Spurs Web Opinion
There are clearly plenty of moving pieces in the Bastoni situation and it will be interesting to see how things play out.
While it is understandable why the Inter star would be Conte’s preferred centre-back target, it remains to be seen how long Spurs wait before moving on to other options, given their desire to complete their big signings before pre-season.
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