There have been several reports that Antonio Conte wants to sign Alessandro Bastoni since taking over at Tottenham.
The player and manager know each other well from their time at Inter, with the centre-back having developed under the Italian coach. That, combined with the fact that Bastoni is a top-class defender, meant that a reunion at Spurs was really desired by Conte, but Inter Milan resisted, and the move didn’t happen.
The 23-year-old has now confirmed that Spurs were after him in the summer and there was ‘some contact’ by the North London club. However, he admitted that he is ‘happy’ at Inter. When asked about how true the rumours linking him with Spurs were, he told Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness):
“There was some contact, but I’m happy I stayed at Inter.”
He also praised Antonio Conte when asked how different it was to work under Conte compared to other managers like Inzaghi and Mancini. He said:
“With Conte, we entered the pitch knowing perfectly what we needed to do, because everything was studied in a maniacal manner.”
Bastoni has once again been linked with Spurs ahead of the winter transfer window with Fabrizio Romano confirming that Spurs are looking for a centre-back.
Italian outlet Inter Live reported last month that Spurs could approach the club with a bid worth close to £44 million. Dean Jones has also previously stated that Spurs view the defender as ‘an absolute dream signing’.
However, Romano has claimed that ‘Inter are not open to letting him go in January‘.
