Manchester City are reportedly stepping up their efforts to sign Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni, with Pep Guardiola viewing the rumoured Tottenham target as the ‘perfect’ centre-back.
According to FC Inter News, the reigning Premier League champions have been following the San Siro star for the best part of two years, with this summer now being viewed as the ideal time for City to strike and secure Bastoni’s signature.
City are far from alone in their interest to sign Bastoni, though, with Inter Live reporting that Tottenham are also big fans of the 23-year-old defender. However, Antonio Conte’s departure from Spurs could make a deal difficult to pull off for the north London side.
With Tottenham’s UEFA Champions League status also in the balance, City could be the clear favourites to sign Bastoni if Guardiola is keen to make the defender a part of his long-term plans at the club, with the centre-back himself likely to be keen on a move to Manchester.
Indeed, Bastoni has teased a move to the Premier League for some time, and with Inter in need of generating some revenue this summer, the defender could be sold for a massive fee to City if the English giants can strike a deal with the Nerazzurri.
Moreover, with City set to spend big this summer on revamping their midfield and defence, Bastoni could solve a lot of problems for Guardiola in the backline, with the Italian an ideal option to marshall the Cityzens for many years to come from the back.
City signing Bastoni could be a sensational deal in the long-term
City might be heavy spenders in the market, but you can’t fault them on the number of incredible long-term deals they’ve managed to pull off, from Kevin De Bruyne to John Stones to Ederson Moraes. And Bastoni could be added to that list if Guardiola can land his man.
Alongside Ruben Dias, the Italian centre-back could form one of the best defensive pairings in Europe with Rico Lewis continuing his development at fullback, and for Bastoni himself, a move to Manchester would be an appealing step-up from Inter, who could be tempted by the money on offer.
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