Following the Evening Standard’s Simon Collings reporting that Watford were ‘exploring the possibility’ of a deal for Lazio’s Bastos on Wednesday, the news has reached Italy, and it’s not all that positive for the Hornets.
Already looking to offload Wallace, with Wolverhampton touted as a possible landing spot for the Brazilian, the idea of weakening the defence’s depth further isn’t on the cards, meaning the Angola international isn’t for sale.
That’s what Il Tempo are reporting on Thursday, stating that both the manager, Simone Inzaghi, and the club’s director of football, Igli Tare, have made it clear the 28-year-old isn’t going anywhere.
Now, we all know no player is actually off the market, but it does mean that if Watford really do want Bastos to bolster their defence next season, then Javi Gracia is going to have to convince his board to considerably open up their chequebook.
Lazio’s owner, Claudio Lotito, is quite stubborn, demonstrating this trait with the whole Sergej Milinkovic-Savic saga, and if his beloved manager and director of football want to keep someone, he generally tends to have their back.
