Manchester United have in the 'last hours' emerged as suitors for Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni, according to Sky Sports Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio.
The lowdown: Rapid rise to prominence
A product of the academy system at Atalanta, Bastoni made the switch to Serie A giants Inter in 2017 and spent time on loan at Parma before enjoying a staggering breakthrough into senior action.
Having flourished through the youth international ranks, the towering centre-back went from strength to strength to become a fully-fledged member of the first-team plans at the San Siro and the senior Italian national team.
The 23-year-old has now amassed 118 appearances for i Nerazzurri with the Italian media saying he 'plays with the personality of a veteran', and he's attracted serious interest from Tottenham Hotspur recently.
[web_stories_embed url="https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-man-utd-updates-3/" title="Latest Man Utd updates!" poster="" width="360" height="600" align="none"]
However, it seems as though the Red Devils are throwing their hat into the ring for the possible big-name signing...
The latest: Di Marzio makes huge claim
In a report cited on Twitter, the Italian journalist has claimed that Manchester United have 'been moving' for Bastoni.
He says that the Old Trafford interest has surfaced in the 'last hours' after Tottenham boss Antonio Conte initiated contact regarding the defender once hailed as 'world class' by Italian football expert Kaustubh Pandey.
The report also states that United could compete with Tottenham and Newcastle for the signing of Lille defender Sven Botman.
The verdict: Make it happen
Valued at £54million and under contract in Italy until 2024 (Transfermarkt), any move for Bastoni would undoubtedly involve an eye-watering figure.
However, having conceded 57 times in the Premier League last term - more than eight other sides in the top ten - there can be little doubting that the defensive department needs addressing by new manager Erik ten Hag as a priority.
During the 2021/22 campaign, the 14-cap ace earned an outstanding 7.10 Sofascore rating in Serie A, winning 4.1 duels and making 1.1 interceptions on average per game whilst helping keep eight clean sheets in the process.
That elite level form, combined with his already superstar status and the astronomically high ceiling the Italian could feasibly reach as he heads towards his peak, make the 6 foot 2 star a superb potential capture for the Red Devils and one Ten Hag and John Murtough should be pushing hard to make a reality.
In other news, Erik ten Hag could be key in luring this star to Old Trafford.