With the season now (almost) over, Manchester City are looking to the future, and with Nathan Aké injured more often than not and hardly used by Pep Guardiola, an early exit could be on the cards.
Whether that’s temporary or permanent remains to be seen, with various reports suggesting José Mourinho wouldn’t mind the Dutchman at AS Roma on loan, but if he were to leave, the Premier League champions would need to replace him.
Left-footed centre-backs aren’t all that common these days, but there is one in Italy that has caught the eye of Guardiola over the past couple of years, and that’s Alessandro Bastoni.
The Inter defender has been a regular under Antonio Conte, and with a bright future ahead of him, there is a strong desire to keep him at San Siro.
Corriere dello Sport explain that Guardiola would ‘do anything’ to bring Bastoni to the Etihad, ‘seduced’ by his ability to kick start play from the back and his young age.
However, Inter want to keep him and the ‘crux of a renewal has already been defined’, although that’s been put to one side for now as the club sort out other more important matters.
That being said, there is a need to act sooner rather than later, with Bastoni’s agent, Tullio Tinti, aware of the interest in his client.
If Inter are too late to act, then Manchester City could ‘find fertile ground for their assault’, and that’s something the Serie A club can’t afford to do.
