Tottenham manager Antonio Conte is pushing the club to complete the double swoop for Italian defensive gems Alessandro Bastoni and Giorgio Scalvini, who could cost a combined marquee fee of €95 million.
According to a report from InterLive, Tottenham are plotting a mega €95 million double swoop to lure two of Italy’s future defensive stars, Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and Atalanta’s Giorgio Scalvini, as Antonio Conte looks to add defensive reinforcements in January.
Tottenham manager Conte has been plotting to raid Serie A for a number of centre-backs in recent times, with Inter Live reporting in October that the Italian was mulling over a €55 million deal for long-standing Spurs target Alessandro Bastoni, who despite having previously worked with Conte at San Siro is reluctant to move to the North London outfit.
While the Lilywhites haven’t yet given up on their pursuit of Bastoni, they are also keeping a close eye on Bastoni’s teammate Stefan De Vrij, with Conte keen on bringing multiple defensive reinforcements in January to boost Tottenham’s top-four hopes. Now, it looks like a young gem has emerged on their centre-back shopping list, with Atalanta wonderkid Scalvini fitting the bill for a January move.
The 19-year-old defender is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting prospects in Italian football. Scalvini has burst onto the scene at Atalanta over the last two seasons. The Italian managed 18 league appearances last season and earned himself a call-up to the Italy senior squad, grabbing three international caps so far.
He has cemented himself as a regular starter under Gian Piero Gasperini, with 11 league starts to his name this campaign—an impressive feat for such a young defender. La Dea are very well aware of the talent they have on their hands and have slapped a €40 million price tag on his proverbial head.
His mature and composed performances at such a young age have turned the heads of some of the elite clubs around Europe, with Liverpool, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City all interested in signing the Atalanta defender. Now, Antonio Conte’s Spurs are also keen on acquiring the Atalanta centre-back’s custody.
Tottenham have tasted notable success in recent times when it comes to acquiring talent from Serie A. Cristian Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Dejan Kulusevski have all starred for Spurs after being brought to the club by talent-finder and sporting director Fabio Paratici, who has a strong network of scouts and agents in Italy.
It’s no wonder that Paratici is keeping an eye on Scalvini, given how impressively the teenager has progressed over the last 12 months. It remains to be seen whether Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will give Conte the go-ahead to spend more on two defenders after spending so much in the summer.
At first glance, a move appears doubtful unless another injection comes from the upper hierarchy. But if he wants the enigmatic and charismatic Conte to extend his stay at Tottenham, he may have no choice other than to splash the cash.
