Tottenham fans are desperate for the club to complete the signing of Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni this summer as part of the big changes taking place in N17. A new left-sided centre-back was on the club's radar ahead of the January transfer window but it was decided that the Lilywhites would instead wait until the summer market to strengthen there.
Spurs do not see any issues with meeting the player's wage expectations nor Inter's fee, which could potentially be around £51million to seal an agreement with the Nerazzurri for the Italian international's services. However, the problem is likely to come with convincing the 23-year-old to swap Serie A for the Premier League as he is currently very happy at the San Siro as things stand.
Bastoni's agent, Tullio Tinti, has indicated that his client is happy to remain at Inter despite talk of a switch to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He did, however, give Spurs a glimmer of hope after also mentioning that "this is football and he has to adjust".
READ MORE: Alessandro Bastoni latest, Lenglet, Pau Torres, Kim Min-jae and Spurs' centre-back transfer list
“He is certainly a big fan of the team he plays for, so he will happily remain at Inter,” Tinti told Sportitalia, as reported by Football Italia. “However, he is also a professional. This is football and he has to adjust. It’s clear he is very happy to play for Inter and feels this jersey like a tattoo on his skin.”
As there is of course the possibility that a deal for Bastoni does not go though, Paratici will have a couple of other options up his sleeve as he looks to bring in a player to compete with Ben Davies for the position. But who should Tottenham's Bastoni alternatives be? football.london takes a look.
Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig)
Gvardiol has made quite a name for himself in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig, thus coming to the attention of a number of Europe's biggest clubs in the process. Linked with Man City Chelsea and Tottenham, the Croatian international may well still be a Leipzig player come the start of September despite talk of a switch to the Premier League.
Understood to be very happy at his current club, Gvardiol's deal with the Bundesliga side runs until the summer of 2026 and that in turn will make things incredibly tricky for interested clubs. For that reason, a transfer fee for the Croat could even exceed the figure Inter would require for Bastoni.
Joining RB Leipzig from Dinamo Zagreb for just over £16million, the German side would already be able to make a significant profit on the 20-year-old if they do decide to cash in on him. Gvardiol, who can also operate at left-back, may be young but he already has 100 senior appearances to his name after making his senior bow as a 17-year-old, with the player scoring two goals and registering three assists in his 46 appearances for his club this term.
Definitely one for the future, the Croatian international would be a very shrewd acquisition on the left of the back three.
Pau Torres (Villarreal)
Torres was tipped for a summer move to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2021 but a transfer never came to fruition. Having helped Villarreal qualify for the Champions League after their Europa League final success against Manchester United, the Spain international instead elected to remain with his hometown club rather than making the switch to England.
Unable to offer Torres football in Europe's premier competition following their failure to finish in the top four for the second successive campaign, Tottenham can offer it this time around after beating Arsenal to fourth on the final day of the season. A left-sided centre-back and one of Europe's most highly-rated young defenders, Torres can fill the position Paratici and Conte want to address and also help the team form a mean backline in the process.
Giovani Lo Celso may help Tottenham out in a deal for the 25-year-old as the Lilywhites could offer the midfielder to Villarreal on a permanent basis going on how successful his loan spell at Estadio de la Cerámica was.
Stefan de Vrij (Inter Milan)
De Vrij could also be a defender Conte and Paratici consider ahead of next season as they look to strengthen the backline. The Dutchman may be a right-footed centre-back but he does operate on the left for Inter Milan.
The Spurs boss has made it clear he wants experienced players, and the ex-Lazio man could be the ideal man for him given he has worked with him in the past. Perhaps a cheaper option than others due to his age, Daniel Levy could potentially get a decent deal due to his contract status and if Inter are going to need to move players on again in order to balance the books.
Evan Ndicka (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Ndicka's performances for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga have not gone unnoticed and the 22-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League as a result. Both Manchester United and Newcastle United have been mentioned in regards to a deal for the France U21 international, and clubs could be able to get the highly-rated defender on the cheap due to his contract status.
A left-sided centre-back capable of playing in a back three, Ndicka also has experience of playing as a left-back in his career. As reported by Newcastle Chronicle in April, he could cost in the region of £23million as he gets set to enter the final year of his deal.
Lisandro Martinez (Ajax)
Another left-footed centre-back Tottenham could consider is Martinez at Ajax. A player Cristian Romero knows well as he is a fellow Argentina international, the 24-year-old has excelled during his time in Amsterdam.
Linked with Manchester United and Barcelona this summer, it probably won't be long before the player is on the move from Ajax. One thing that could really help Spurs out is that they do have an excellent relationship with the Dutch club having signed Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Christian Eriksen and Davinson Sanchez from them in the past.
Clement Lenglet (Barcelona)
Lenglet's name has been in the headlines over the past few days regarding a transfer to Tottenham. football.london understands that Tottenham attempted to sign the France international on loan last summer in Paratici's early weeks in the job but the defender did not want to leave Barcelona at that point.
Spending the vast majority of the season on Barca's bench after only starting seven of his 21 games in La Liga, the 26-year-old could be on the move before the deadline as the Spanish giants will need to raise cash due to their financial issues and also to help bring new players to the club. Paratici is expected to explore Lenglet once again as another option on that left-hand side, with the former Sevilla man likely to be available on a loan deal.
