Tottenham are set to explore alternative centre-back options after being dealt a blow in their pursuit of Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni.
Villarreal’s Pau Torres and Torino’s Gleison Bremer are among the players Spurs hold interest in, as Antonio Conte looks to strengthen his backline once more following the success of Cristian Romero’s arrival last summer.
Conte had identified Bastoni as his No1 defensive target, having worked with the 23-year-old, who is valued at £50million, during his time at Inter. But the player’s agent, Tulio Tinti, yesterday claimed he is likely to stay in Milan, where he is under contract until 2024.
Manchester United are also interested in the Italy international, but given his relationship with Conte and the fact that they can offer Champions League football, Spurs are hopeful that they could convince Bastoni to leave San Siro.
United have also been linked with Spain defender Torres, who helped his boyhood club to Europa League glory in 2020-21 and to the semi-finals of the Champions League last season. There have been suggestions that Spurs midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, who has been on loan at Villarreal since January, could be used as a makeweight in any deal.
Bremer, meanwhile, is attracting interest from a number of leading European clubs after being voted Serie A’s best defender in the league’s end-of-season awards.
