Tottenham have scouted Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni in recent seasons and still hold an interest
Tottenham Hotspur have been struggling on the defensive side of things with injuries plaguing the starting centre-back duo Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven on a consistent basis. More so, Ben Davies has also spent over a month on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.
The Lilywhites would benefit significantly from another quality central defender at this juncture of the campaign amid the ongoing injury crisis. Over the past few weeks and months, there have been several defenders linked with a move to White Hart Lane, including Borussia Monchengladbach’s Ko Itakura and RC Lens’ Abdukodir Khusanov.
Khusanov, however, is heading to Manchester City in another seismic blow to Spurs, who missed out on Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani to Juventus on Tuesday. There has been another defender who Tottenham still hold an interest in after scouting him on several occasions in recent seasons.
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According to former scout Mick Brown, Tottenham monitored Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni when he was still playing for Italy’s U21s, thanks to their connections in the Italian market, and still hold him in high esteem. He says Spurs still remain interested in the Italian centre-back, having shown genuine interest in him a few years ago.
“[Bastoni’s] an animal defensively, not afraid to step in and he’s so aggressive, but comfortable on the ball too and he can play out,” Mick Brown exclusively told Football Insider.
“I always thought he was one to make the move to the Premier League. I expected him to go to Spurs, actually.
“They were keeping an eye on him and had sent scouts to watch him on numerous occasions.
“That was thanks to their connections in the Italian market with the former Juventus director who was there.
“How far they got towards signing him, I’m not sure, but I know they wanted him and he was very highly thought-of there, so I expect he still is.”
Tottenham’s interest in Bastoni originally came during Fabio Paratici’s spell as their director of football, with his huge network in the Italian market driving the possibility of a deal. Under Paratici’s guidance, the North Londoners raided the Italian market for players like Cristian Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski and Destiny Udogie.
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Unfortunately, Spurs somehow seem to have missed out on Bastoni, who has become one of the most highly-rated centre-backs in Europe. Since joining Inter Milan from Atalanta in 2017, the 25-year-old has gone on to rack up 226 appearances while winning seven trophies. The Italian international is enjoying another fabulous season with the Nerazzurri, registering a goal and four assists in 25 appearances across all competitions.
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Although Tottenham’s interest may have persisted, Bastoni is well-settled in Inter, a mainstay in their backline under Simone Inzaghi and competing and winning trophies every season. He has a contract at San Siro until June 2028 (Transfermarkt) and it is highly unlikely for us to get him now, given he is among Inter’s untouchables.
