For Tottenham fans, one of the main problems this year was defensively. The defensive shape improved when Antonio Conte arrived, but it is clear that work has to be done on the backline. While the improvement in form of Eric Dier was a big surprise, and the excellent rise of Cristian Romero was heartening indeed, the left-sided area of the back three was the weakest link. Therefore, links with former Conte star Alessandro Bastoni seemed logical.
Inter are currently in financial strife due to their ownership situation, and need to sell players each summer simply to make ends meet. Bastoni, 23, was seen as one of the few assets they could sell for eye-watering money. However, the player himself has apparently rejected the idea of a move to Spurs, despite the presence of Conte. Instead, it sounds like he could either stay put at Inter or make a move to Manchester City. Either way, Tottenham are almost certainly out of the running for the classy Italian.
Instead, though, Inter are believed to have offerd the club a chance to make a deal for one of his teammates. Bastoni is believed to see staying in Italy as his priority, and thus leaving Inter would be a surprise despite City being linked. The player who has been offered up instead is Milan Skriniar.
The Slovakian central defender has been one of the keys of the Conte era at Inter, and is viewed by many as among the best defenders on the continent. At 27, he would fit in with the idea that Spurs need to be signing players who are in their peak as opposed to players who might take time to develop.
However, recent quotes from the defender does make it sound like doing a deal could prove troublesome.
What was said about Milan Skriniar?
Despite his obvious pedigree and the fact Conte loved to play him in the team, Skriniar has been linked with an exit. Inter need to shed some big names to try and make space for new signings without harming their budget. As the club tries to fight to fit in with the UEFA financial limits, they need to box clever and take players on deals that are suitable to them. At the same time, they need to sell their assets for the best price they can.
Skriniar, though, does not sound like he wants to be the one being sold. In a recent interview, he noted: “My future is at Inter. I have a contract and nothing has changed. The transfer rumours come out every six months, every year. But there’s nothing specific – I’m satisfied with Inter.”
However, last summer there was also precious word from the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi that they wanted to leave. Both players seemed happy in Milan, but eventually were moved on to help balance the books and keep things financially under control. Skriniar, then, could be the one sacrificed if Inter find selling Bastoni to be too unpalatable.
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