According to journalist Carlo Garganese, Inter centre-back Alessandro Bastoni remains on Tottenham Hotspur’s summer transfer list.
Antonio Conte is believed to have pressed for a new centre-back in the previous summer window, with him interested in reuniting with Bastoni in north London.
However, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, a strict price tag of €60m (£52m) was demanded and a deal never came to fruition.
Meanwhile, there have been rumours that Spurs and Manchester City are indeed keen on renewing their interest in the Italian, with the defender currently holding out for a new contract at the San Siro worth £3.5m per year.
Garganese delivered an update on the chase to GiveMeSport, claiming Conte hasn’t given up on signing the 23-year-old.
He said: “They were pushing for him last summer when Tottenham were looking for centre-backs, they wanted a left-sided centre-back and they ended up going for Lenglet, but we don’t know if that’s going to be a long-term solution there.
“I’m sure he’s on their list, he was definitely on their list this summer. Obviously, there’s still a way to go before next summer, but I’m sure he’s still on there.”
TIF Thoughts on Spurs’ potential Bastoni deal…
Bastoni has struggled to nail down a place in the Nerazzurri backline of late, playing the full 90 minutes only four times in 11 Serie A outings this season – as many times as he’s been left on the bench.
The £89k-per-week ace’s defensive numbers show the drop-off and effect that inconsistent minutes have had on him, with Bastoni ranking in the bottom 19% amongst centre-backs for aerial duels won over the past year, while he is also struggling with tackles and interceptions with him in a very average top 46% and 45% respectively, via FBref.
However, his prevalence as a ball-playing defender is optimised by his passing stats, as he places in the top 8% for progressive passes with 3.66 per 90 and the top 15% for passes attempted with 69.1 – a clear strength he has over Clement Lenglet, who he beats on both metrics.
A return to playing under Conte, who he featured under on 74 occasions – the most of any manager – is believed to be something the player would be keen on and could see the EURO champion and Scudetto winner return to his best, having previously been dubbed “brilliant” by pundit Tam McManus.