The agent of Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni has seemingly opened the door for his client to make the switch to Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
The Nerazzurri forked out £27m to sign Bastoni as an 18-year-old in the summer of 2017, and the Italy international has since made 118 appearances for the club in all tournaments.
Bastoni has recorded three goals and eight assists in that time, while also starting 33 Serie A games en route to the title in the 2020-21 campaign under Antonio Conte.
Bastoni's 2021-22 season saw him amass one goal and three assists from 44 outings, but his contract at San Siro now only has two years left to run.
With Conte seeking to bolster the Spurs backline in the summer window, Bastoni has allegedly emerged as one of the Lilywhites' top defensive targets.
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The 23-year-old's agent has now affirmed that Bastoni would be happy to stay put in Milan but also recognises that he must "adjust" to the nature of the transfer market.
"He [Bastoni] is certainly a big fan of the team he plays for, so he will happily remain at Inter," Bastoni's agent Tullio Tinti told Sportitalia, as quoted by Football Italia.
"However, he is also a professional. This is football and he has to adjust. It's clear he is very happy to play for Inter and feels this jersey like a tattoo on his skin."
Tottenham have raided the Serie A market since Conte and Fabio Paratici's arrivals in North London, with Cristian Romero and Pierluigi Gollini both arriving from Atalanta BC in the summer of 2021.
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While Romero has established himself as a key member of the backline, Gollini will be returning to La Dea after Spurs decided against making the shot-stopper's move permanent.
Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski have both become integral parts of the side since their January arrivals from Juventus, and the latter is expected to make his stay permanent in 2023.
Spurs have also completed the capture of Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan on a free transfer to add greater competition in the wing-back areas, with the 33-year-old signing a two-year deal.
However, Tottenham are understood to have turned down the opportunity to sign Paulo Dybala, with the ex-Juventus man after a mammoth wage of £280,000 per week at his next club.
Ben Knapton
