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Manchester United have enquired about Inter Milan defender and Tottenham Hotspur target Alessandro Bastoni, according to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

Inter paid just under £28million to sign Bastoni from Atalanta in the summer of 2017.

Now 23, he’s gone on to make 118 appearances for the club, including 44 in all competitions last season.

Bastoni, dubbed ‘perfect’ and a ‘talisman’ by talent scout Jacek Kulig, was part of the Italy squad that won last summer’s European Championships, playing their final group stage game against Wales, and he’s notched 14 caps for his country overall.

Tottenham Hotspur, who beat United to the final Champions League spot, are also in for him, hoping to reunite him with former Inter boss Antonio Conte.

The latest

The report states that United have been ‘asking for information’ about Bastoni with a view to a potential move.

Erik ten Hag is concerned by Raphael Varane’s fitness record and believes Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof ‘are not reliable’.

The Red Devils have been told that ‘it takes €60m’ (about £51.2million) to sign Bastoni, a price tag that ‘scares Conte’s Tottenham’.

Still, it may be regarded as a fee worth paying, with the report adding that the player is ‘the prototype of the modern defender’.

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The verdict

This will be a difficult deal for United, or indeed Spurs, to pull off.

Bastoni’s agent has recently said publicly that his client will be staying in Milan this summer.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean a transfer should be ruled out completely, with The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke and James Horncastle insisting ‘there is still plenty of time left in the window for the situation to change’.

It’s easy to see why Ten Hag wants Bastoni, who featured in the Serie A Team of the Year when Inter won the league in 2020/21.

He also offers the ‘reliability’ that the Dutchman wants, with zero errors leading to an opposition goal on his record since he made his Serie A debut.

Journalist Mario Sconcerti has compared him to a ‘young [Leonardo] Bonucci’, and he can continue to get better.

In other news, Manchester United want this 27 y/o PL star.

Manchester City journalist Sam Lee has dropped a behind-the-scenes claim regarding the possibility of the Premier League champions securing a deal for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips during the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the news?

In a recent report for The Athletic, Lee highlighted City’s reported interest in signing the Elland Road star and the current situation regarding a potential move to the Etihad Stadium this summer.

The journalist wrote: “No doubt, Phillips’ potential arrival has been complicated by Leeds’ Premier League survival. Avoiding relegation puts them in a stronger position financially, so City lost a fair bit of leverage.

“It is still very much on the cards, but a move is not as easy as was previously hoped within City’s offices.”

A product of Leeds’ youth academy, the 26-year-old has made 234 senior appearances for the Yorkshire club across all competitions. In that time, the England international has scored 14 goals and delivered 13 assists along the way.

Taking into account how Leeds only won three of the 18 league games in which Phillips didn’t feature this season and weren’t able to keep a clean sheet in any of those 18 matches, this highlights just how important he is to Jesse Marsch’s team and why they would be keen to keep hold of him for as long as possible.

Big worry for Guardiola

While Lee claimed that there is still some hope that a deal can be struck for the Leeds star this summer, it would be a worry for Pep Guardiola that it may not be as easy to complete as it could have been had the Whites been relegated at the end of the Premier League season.

Bearing in mind how City will be heading into next term without Fernandinho for the first time in almost 10 years, it will be an even bigger concern for the Spaniard to not see his side secure a suitable replacement for the Brazil veteran – such as Phillips – before the start of the campaign.

While the Citizens haven’t been shy in the past when it comes to splashing out big sums of money to bring players to the Etihad from other Premier League clubs, this could be another one of those scenarios where they may be forced to pay whatever Leeds may want for their midfield hero.

In other news: Guardiola can land his next Sane as Man City eye move for “glorious” £128m sensation

Manchester City are believed to be readying a bid for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, according to a report from 90min.

The Lowdown: Phillips profiled

As per the Whites’ official website, the 26-year-old is a product of the Elland Road youth system, working his way up through the ranks to make his first-team debut for the club back in 2015 and going in to make 234 appearances for Jesse Marsch’s side.

The maestro has become an integral feature of his hometown club’s starting XI over the years after helping them gain promotion to the Premier League in 2020. However, his impressive performances appear to have caught the eye of many top-flight rivals, with the champions among those looking to secure his signature.

The Latest: Man City preparing bid for Phillips

In an article published by 90min, it is claimed that City are now ‘readying a bid’ for Phillips after making ‘several enquiries’ about the Leeds midfielder.

The source stated that Etihad Stadium scouts have been ‘hugely impressed’ with their target’s progress since the Whites’ promotion two years ago, with Pep Guardiola making his admiration for the 19-cap England international ‘clear’.

It’s reported that City are currently ‘conducting background checks’ to decide whether or not they fully believe the 26-year-old be a good fit in the dressing room ahead of an ‘opening bid’.

Phillips has insisted that he would be ‘happy to stay’ in Yorkshire, but the source suggests that a move to the Etihad ‘does appeal’ to him.

The Verdict: Ideal Fernandinho replacement

With it being confirmed that Fernandinho will be leaving City this summer, the club need to find a suitable replacement for the Brazil veteran in the middle of the park, and the £45m-rated Leeds talisman could well be the perfect candidate.

Despite only playing 23 times this season, mainly due to a long-term hamstring injury, Phillips has still been an absolute rock in the Whites’ midfield. He averaged 2.7 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per Premier League game (via WhoScored), demonstrating that he can be hugely effective at breaking up opposition attacks.

Leeds probably wouldn’t be able to match any offer from City if one is to materialise in the coming weeks.

Therefore, it may be a case of the Elland Road academy graduate – who was once dubbed an “exceptional” player by former Leeds and Man City defender Danny Mills – having to decide whether to commit his future to his boyhood club or make the switch to the Etihad, where he could go on to achieve big things at the highest level in years to come.

In other news… this Manchester City first-team maestro could be set for a surprise exit over the summer

Sunderland are reportedly now ‘ready for any offers’ to sign Dan Neil this summer.

The Lowdown: Speakman praise

Neil has recently earned the praise of Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman, who has dubbed him an ‘incredible’ and ‘top young player’ (The Northern Echo).

The 20-year-old played 46 times in total over all competitions this season, scoring four goals and making eight assists (Transfermarkt), as he helped the Stadium of Light outfit gain promotion up to the Championship.

The Latest: Ready for offers

Taking to Twitter, North East journalist Matty Jones has shared that the Wearside club are now ‘ready for any offers’ that may come their way for Neil:

“Scouts have been to watch Sunderland this season but it’s not certain whether they were there to watch Dan Neil in action.

“Nevertheless, the Black Cats are ready for any offers that might come their way.”

The Verdict: Keep!

If the Black Cats are to stay in the Championship, and even look to a potential Premier League push, then they need to be keeping hold of their key players, and Neil certainly fits into that category.

He has ranked highly among his teammates in terms of average key passes and through balls in League One this term, while his 82% pass completion rate is the joint-highest out of any of his teammates to have made five or more appearances (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, Neil would not be an easy player to replace, and so Alex Neil’s side should be looking to keep hold of him this summer, regardless of any potential offers that may come in for the Englishman.

In other news, find out what behind-the-scenes SAFC ‘talks’ have now been going on here!

According to the Daily Telegraph’s Matt Law, Tottenham Hotspur managing director Fabio Paratici will hold talks in Italy with Antonio Conte, offering the 52-year-old six signings in a plea for him to stay.

The Lowdown: Conte’s future

The Italian manager is currently taking a well-earned break in his home country to clear his mind, as he considers his future after guiding Spurs to a fourth-place finish and Champions League qualification.

It is believed that Paratici and club chairman Daniel Levy are in the dark over Conte’s current plans, who is debating whether to return to Italy, where his wife and daughter still reside.

The 52 year-old infamously hinted he could quit the club following a shock defeat to Burnley earlier this year, prompting links to former boss Mauricio Pochettino.

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The Latest: Paratici and Conte talks

According to reliable Daily Telegraph journalist Matt Law, Paratici is set to hold talks with the Lilywhites manager in Italy, ready to offer his backing in the summer transfer window.

Taking to Twitter, Law shared: “Paratici will hold talks in Italy with Conte. Transfers not the only thing under consideration but Tottenham ready to grant him at least six new signings – Fraser Forster set to be one.”

In the adjacent article, The Telegraph reveal that Paratici is to agree to Conte’s demands and will target two new wing-backs, a left-sided centre-back, a midfielder and a forward who can also play out wide. Tottenham will also sign a new back-up goalkeeper, with Southampton’s Fraser Forster set to undergo a medical this week.

Conte’s required assurance over the quality of signings is seemingly going to be met, with the north London club targeting Alessandro Bastoni, Gleison Bremer, Djed Spence, Christian Eriksen, James Ward-Prowse, Kalvin Phillips and Gabriel Jesus.

The Verdict: Hugely exciting

If Paratici can ensure Conte that he can pull off the ambitious transfer plans that they have set out, then it is likely to convince the former Inter Milan boss to remain at the club for another year, news which should come as hugely exciting for Lilywhites supporters.

With Tottenham playing in four competitions next season, adding depth to the squad will be imperative to Conte, and after the club ended the season winning eight of their last 11 matches, there is surely no better man out there to lead the squad into Europe’s elite competition.

Hailed as on a par with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp, the news that the club are willing to do what it takes to keep Conte happy is simply huge for Tottenham’s future.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Fabrizio Romano shares news on a second signing at N17

Italian football expert Conor Clancy has delivered his verdict on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Alessandro Bastoni…

What’s the word?

The north London outfit are said to be in the market for a new left-sided central defender to provide competition with Ben Davies and sporting director Fabio Paratici is thought to be a huge admirer of the 23-year-old, who worked under Antonio Conte at Inter Milan.

He could cost in the region of £50m.

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Speaking about Bastoni during an interview with Football FanCast, the journalist claimed:

“He’s the best Italian centre-back around.

“He’s a phenomenon.

“He is going to be the next generation of Italian defence himself.”

Conte’s colossus

A backline of Bastoni, Eric Dier and Cristian Romero would certainly elevate the Lilywhites’ defence into being one of the best around, particularly in the Premier League.

Given Conte’s past experience with the 6 foot 3 colossus, there won’t be many better signings for the club to make in the off-season.

Under the 52-year-old, Bastoni started 33 of their 38 games on their way to Inter’s first Scudetto in 11 years last season, and he continues to be an major player under his successor Simone Inzaghi.

His ball-playing ability is something that stands out amongst the rest, having also earned comparisons to fellow Italian defensive greats Leonardo Bonucci and Alessandro Nesta.

As per The Athletic in April 2022, the Inter centre-back ranked inside the top five of all Serie A defenders for attempted passes per 90, whilst also ranking in the top 6% for intensity and top 14% for ball retention.

Also lauded as “complete” “dominant” and a “tenacious tackler” by scout Jacek Kulig, Bastoni outranks every single one of Conte’s current defensive options in terms of passing, registering an accuracy rate of 89.6%, which is vastly superior to Spurs’ best of 88.1% by Eric Dier.

The £60m-rated titan would be an excellent signing indeed, going by the above evidence, and Clancy’s words only add further excitement into the mix.

Just imagine Bastoni and Romero bullying the Premier League for many years to come.

AND in other news, Gold drops Cristian Romero injury update ahead of Norwich clash…

Celtic brought an end to their 2021/22 SPFL season in style on Saturday by beating Motherwell 6-0 at Parkhead.

The Hoops were officially announced as league champions after their 1-1 draw against Dundee United last week, leaving Ange Postecoglou with his first league title in his debut campaign in charge of the Hoops.

It was also revealed during the past week that Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton will be waving goodbye to the Parkhead club after nearly ten years of service together.

Rogic played a rather big part in Celtic’s latest title win by scoring six goals and delivering six assists in 27 league appearances.

Since arriving at Paradise back in January 2013, the Australian has gone on to make 272 appearances for the Hoops across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 29-year-old has scored 46 goals, delivered 49 assists and won numerous trophies in the process.

Taking all of this into account, the club will need to find a suitable replacement for their long-serving midfielder.

With that in mind, one figure that the Hoops have been linked with who could go on to become an ideal replacement for Rogic is Christopher Scott.

Earlier this year, it was claimed by Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg on Twitter that the Bayern Munich youngster had been in talks with the Parkhead club over a potential summer transfer move.

After working his way through Bayer Leverkusen’s youth ranks, the midfielder joined Bayern’s U19 squad during the 2020 January transfer window.

Throughout his short career, the 19-year-old has scored 44 goals and provided 17 assists in 115 appearances.

This highlights how much of a knack for scoring and providing goals he has, in a similar vein to Rogic during his time at Celtic Park.

This is backed up by Bhoys Analytics on Twitter who said that Scott “generates a lot of threat from [his] finishing and creativity.”

With Scott’s current contract at Bayern set to expire at the end of June, this possibility of signing the 19-year-old on a free transfer is something that Celtic should be all over this summer.

From a financial point of view, it could be a great business deal for the hierarchy to complete as well as being a potentially great footballing investment if Postecoglou can form the Bayern youngster into a full-fledged senior player at Celtic.

In other news: Ange can save Celtic millions by unleashing “outstanding” 18 y/o, he’s Bitton’s heir

There is ‘lots of interest’ in Newcastle United youngster Elliot Anderson, according to The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder.

The lowdown

Anderson sealed a loan move from Newcastle to Bristol Rovers in the January transfer window.

He went on to play 21 League Two matches, scoring eight goals and providing five assists.

And the 19-year-old played a vital role as they dramatically secured promotion on the final day of the season by putting seven past Scunthorpe United.

Andersen scored one and set up two more to help Joey Barton’s side pip Northampton to third on goals scored.

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The latest

Ryder tweeted on Monday afternoon that Rovers are ‘eager to re-sign’ Anderson on a further loan.

He’s highly coveted with ‘lots of interest’ from elsewhere, but Barton has been ‘brilliant’ for his development so far, and that could be key.

In the attached story, he explains that Barton and Anderson have a great ‘rapport’ and that the player would be ‘assured’ of game time at Rovers.

They’re hoping that will be enough to see off competition from the Championship, but there’s also a chance that Eddie Howe will consider integrating him on Tyneside.

The verdict

Anderson’s loan move has been a resounding success, and Newcastle’s academy boss Steve Harper should be very satisfied.

The teenager has scored or assisted every 135 minutes from a midfield berth and been labelled the ‘stand-out player on the pitch’ by Barton, who regards him as a ‘huge talent’, while Gary Lineker was even stunned by his ‘amazing’ goal at the weekend.

But his strong performances do present the club with a dilemma.

Do they favour enquiries from the Championship in the belief that playing at a higher level will better prepare Anderson for the first team? Or do they keep him a lower-level environment where he’s already comfortable, and may be better-placed to thrive?

Howe may even decide that he’s most valuable as a squad player, though he might still be a year or two away from that kind of status.

In other news, read this insider’s key Jamaal Lascelles claim.  

Reputable Spanish outlet AS have provided an update involving Manchester United and Frenkie de Jong. 

The lowdown: Dutch connection

Following the official announcement from the club that Erik ten Hag would be the man in the Old Trafford hot seat from next season, Sport ran a report claiming that the current Ajax manager was eyeing a reunion with De Jong.

Sold to Barcelona in 2020 for £65m under the stewardship of the 52-year-old (BBC), the Dutch midfielder was hailed as a ‘great player’ by Ten Hag whilst the pair were together in Amsterdam.

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There could now be a reunion on the horizon in Manchester, as Barca have reportedly named their price for De Jong…

The latest: De Jong a ‘wanted’ man

As per AS, United and Bayern Munich are named as the two main protagonists in the pursuit of the 24-year-old.

The report claims that De Jong is ‘mainly wanted’ by the two European giants as the Catalan club put their star ‘up for sale’ for €70m (£58m).

It is also stated that other Premier League clubs have ‘tested’ the situation surrounding the 40-cap Netherlands ace.

The verdict: Value for money

As a matter of course, Ten Hag will need to strengthen the midfield in order to regain poise at United, with Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic both preparing to leave at the end of the season.

Possessing a variety of impressive attributes including very strong dribbling and passing skills (WhoScored), the talented Dutchman stacks up stylistically alongside star midfielder such as Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva and Luka Modric when using the detailed FB Ref comparison tool.

So far this season, De Jong has scored four times and registered five assists in 44 appearances across all competitions, and signing him would be a superb place to start for any Old Trafford rebuild under Ten Hag this summer.

In other news: Man Utd star could make sensational summer exit…find out more here

Ever since Steven Gerrard’s appointment as Aston Villa boss back in November, it has seemingly been a case of when and not if his former Rangers captain James Tavernier will be joining him at the Premier League outfit.

Prior to, during and since the Liverpool legend’s stint at Ibrox, the attacking full-back has remained an outstanding and talismanic presence for the Old Firm giants, with it unsurprising that the 30-year-old is courting attention from clubs south of the border.

According to journalist Dean Jones (via GiveMeSport), the prolific defender is a player that Gerrard and co are believed to be ‘looking at’ ahead of the summer, with replacing Tyrone Mings as captain potentially on the agenda.

The Villa boss recently suggested that a change with regards to the armband could happen at the end of the season, while he also dropped a major hint that it could well be Tavernier that is the man to fill the void.

As quoted by The Daily Mail, the 41-year-old said of the captaincy that: “I still won’t rule out the option of someone coming in, who I know, who is also capable of being in the running”.

Reading between the lines – and amid all the speculation – it wouldn’t be surprising if he is in fact referring to the current Gers ace, with the Englishman potentially the ideal leader that the current dressing room is lacking.

Although Dean Smith’s successor did suggest that Mings “is in with a really good shout” of remaining as captain moving forward, the 17-cap international’s poor form of late has perhaps dented his chances, with pundit Danny Mills recently suggesting that he’s “not convinced” by the 29-year-old and that the club need to secure a quality replacement in order to reach that “next level”.

Not only has Tavernier led from the front with distinction for the reigning Scottish champions since being handed the captaincy on a permanent basis by Gerrard in 2019, he has also caught the eye with his string of impressive displays both domestically and in Europe.

Since joining the club in 2015, the former Wigan Athletic man has a staggering goal contributions record for the Glasgow outfit, having scored 80 goals and provided 108 assists in 340 games across all competitions.

He was particularly instrumental in ending Celtic’s nine-year title dominance last season – recording 21 goals and assists in the SPL – while the current campaign has seen him impress on the continental stage, helping drag Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side to the Europa League semi-finals.

That surge to the last four has seen the £6.3m-rated man chip in with six goals and two assists in just 11 appearances, with all of those strikes having come during the knockout stages, including three goals across the two legs against Borussia Dortmund in the play-off round.

Such form – which has seen him dubbed “ridiculous” by pundit Alan Hutton – has only enhanced the links to Villa Park, with the top-flight club potentially in need of a new right-sided player, particularly with Poland international Matt Cash the only current option at right-back.

Gerrard will be hoping that the man he once dubbed “unstoppable” can arrive this summer to give both the club and the current squad a lift, with both Tavernier’s goals and leadership qualities making him an ideal acquisition.

In other news, Gerrard must finally axe “frustrating” £59k-p/w Smith flop as big Villa update emerges