La Gazzetta dello Sport have revealed that Inter Milan are set to make Alessandro Bastoni their captain after rejecting Tottenham’s advances.
It was reported previously this summer that Bastoni was Tottenham’s top target for the left centre-back role (Football.London) but the defender’s agent dented Tottenham’s hopes last month by insisting that his client will remain at Inter (Football Italia).
The speculation linking Spurs with a move for the 23-year-old has gone quiet over recent weeks.
Over the last few days, reports have indicated that Tottenham are close to striking a deal with Barcelona to sign Clement Lenglet on a season-long loan deal (Fabrizio Romano).
Despite the Lenglet development, The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare said on the Last Word on Spurs YouTube channel last week that he would not completely rule out Spurs reigniting their interest in Bastoni during this transfer window.
However, Gazzetta’s latest update potentially comes as the final nail in the coffin of Tottenham’s pursuit of the Italy international.
The report claims that the Nerazzurri are set to reward the 23-year-old’s loyalty by giving him the captain’s armband ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.
Spurs Web Opinion
I do not think Spurs would have pushed ahead with a move for Lenglet if they felt they had a chance of getting Bastoni this summer, given that the Inter star was allegedly Conte’s number one target. So, any chance of Tottenham signing Bastoni this summer appears to be dead.