Alessandro Bastoni. (REUTERS)
Manchester City are reportedly eyeing a potential transfer swoop for Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni.
The Lowdown: City’s defensive options
The recent summer transfer window saw the Manchester club add another centre-back to their ranks in the shape of Manuel Akanji, who joined from Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth a reported fee of £15m.
That now sees the Citizens with five senior centre-backs in their squad including Nathan Ake, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias.
Despite that, it seems as though City have their eyes on potentially adding another centre-back to their ranks.
The Latest: City eyeing Bastoni
According to a recent report from Fcinternews.it, City have Bastoni as one of their four or five defensive options in terms of a potential future transfer move.
The report also adds that Pep Guardiola sees the Puma-sponsored defender as an ideal profile for his side and how he wants his team to play.
The Verdict: City should think twice
Bastoni, described as a “phenomenon” by Italian football expert Conor Clancy, has only started nine of Inter’s 15 league games, which suggests that he’s not been at the top of the pecking order.
Across his 11 Serie A appearances, the left-footed defender has made nine clearances, 10 blocks and racked up a combined total of 18 tackles and interceptions, leaving several Inter players with more in each statistic.
Do City need to sign another centre-back?
Yes
No
His overall performances in Serie A have earned the £85k-per-week figure a rather uninspiring season rating of 6.54/10 from WhoScored, leaving 12 players at Inter with higher ratings than him.
Taking all of this into account, we feel that a move for Bastoni may not be totally necessary for City given the number of centre-backs they already have in their squad.
Also, with the way his season has gone so far, there isn’t much to suggest that he would be an immediate and regular starter for City anyway.
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