Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City to battle over €100m transfer for elite defender

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 25 Feb 2024 11:53 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City are all ready to battle it out to make a big money transfer for one of the standout defenders in Europe this season.

The Premier League trio are hoping to tempt Inter Milan into selling star centre-back Alessandro Bastoni and could test the Italian side’s resolve by beginning a bidding war with an offer of €100 million.

No club has yet to position themselves as front runners but Spanish outlet Fichajes states that the Italian’s future ‘appears to lie’ in the Premier League due to the interest.

United will see Bastoni as a potential replacement for Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire, with the club ready to cash in on both players this summer and sign a left-sided alternative to Lisandro Martinez, who has been plagued with injury this season.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are considering Bastoni as a long-term successor to Thiago Silva, with the 39-year-old expected to leave the club in the summer when his contract expires.

As for City, the club already spent big on Josko Gvardiol last summer but the 22-year-old has largely featured at left-back this season and Bastoni is reportedly touted as an opportunity to strengthen the club’s long-term options in defence.

Inter reluctant to sell star defender

Inter have no desire to sell Bastoni, with the Serie A leaders having conceded a league-lowest 12 goals in 24 games this season and the 24-year-old still has four years remaining on his contract after signing an extension last summer.

Bastoni has been integral to Inter since joining them for €31m in 2017 and he is also expected to play a significant part in Italy’s European Championship campaign this summer.

The ball-playing defender is renowned for his passing ability and ball control as well as his strength in the air, despite only scoring four goals in nearly 200 appearances for Inter.

Bastoni was formerly a target for Tottenham under Antonio Conte, although the interested Premier League trio have also held a long-standing interest in the defender and could be ready to pounce after seeing him continue to elevate his game in recent years.