Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly set their sights on signing Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni this summer.
The 25-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best defenders in Serie A and has established himself as a key player under manager Simone Inzaghi over the last three-and-a-half season.
Bastoni has made a total of 228 appearances for Inter across all competitions and has won seven trophies during his time at San Siro, including two Serie A titles.
The 33-cap Italy international has been recognised for his individual brilliance in recent seasons, having been named in the Serie A Team of the Year on three occasions in the last four years, while he was crowned 2023-24 Serie A Defender of the Year in Inter's title-winning campaign.
Bastoni, who is under contract at San Siro until June 2028, was linked with a number of Premier League clubs last summer including Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.
A potential move to Spurs was also mooted when Fabio Paratici was their sporting director, and although that failed to materialise, Ange Postecoglou's side appear to be ready to reignite their interest ahead of next season.
© Imago
Spurs plotting ambitious summer swoop for Bastoni?
According to Fichajes, Tottenham are determined to bolster their defence and believe that next summer could be the time to approach Inter over a move for Bastoni.
However, it is suggested that Spurs may have difficulty persuading Bastoni to leave Inter, as he has become an 'irreplaceable' defender in their first team and has unconditional support from the Nerazzurri supporters.
Tottenham are also said to be aware that competing with 'more financially powerful clubs' for a player of Bastoni's stature will be a 'significant challenge'.
Spurs' renewed pursuit of Bastoni is due to the fact that their efforts to sign either Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite or Abdukodir Khusanov - a new signing at Man City - failed to bear fruit.
Postecoglou, who is currently under pressure to keep his job following a poor run of form, is having to cope without his first-choice centre-back pairing of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven due to injury.
Radu Dragusin is Tottenham's only other natural first-team centre-back option, but he has struggled this season, and while teenager Archie Gray has been commended for his best efforts in the heart of defence, his preferred position is in midfield.
Spurs may consider strengthening their squad in January and have already made one signing this month in the form of goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who has joined from Slavia Prague for a reported £12.5m.
Oliver Thomas
