Chelsea and Manchester City are all set to square up against each other in the race for the signatures of Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni.
According to a report by Calciomercato, Chelsea and Manchester City are keen on having Alessandro Bastoni in their ranks. The 24-year-old centre-back is one of the mainstays of the Inter Milan team. But, the Italian giants might still have to sacrifice him for the greater good.
Bastoni came through the ranks at Atalanta before joining Inter Milan in the summer of 2017. He spent the initial years out on loan to have sufficient first-team minutes under his belt. He started getting minutes at Inter during the 2019-20 season and has gone from strength to strength since.
The 24-year-old has established himself as one of the most important players in the team. In the ongoing season, he has featured in nine matches and has been putting in some impressive performances. While he has a contract until the summer of 2028, Inter could still end up selling him next summer.
The Italian club do not have the best financial situation and signing players has been a tough task. Inter need attacking reinforcement next summer because of multiple reasons. And, they will have to fork out a decent sum to land one. As a result, they are considering offloading Bastoni.
The 24-year-old is valued at €70 million and Manchester City and Chelsea are interested in him. Meanwhile, Inter already have a replacement in sight as they plan to sign Perr Schuurs from Torino. The Italian international’s departure from Inter Milan will raise a significant sum which can be used to reinforce the squad.
City are always on the lookout for exceptional players to further improve their squad. They might have signed Joško Gvardiol for a record fee in the summer. But, they are also still interested in having Bastoni in their ranks. The 24-year-old could eventually pair up with Gvardiol in the heart of the defence at City.
Even Chelsea are interested in the Italian international. Thiago Silva is in the last phase of his career and they do need a replacement. Silva’s eventual departure will be a major void in the team in terms of experience and having Bastoni could sort that out.
With Chelsea and City interested and Inter considering selling him in 2024, it will be interesting to see what happens in the summer of 2024.
