Chelsea have submitted a €50million (£43m) offer for top Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni, according to the Italian press, with a report revealing who rejected it.
Bastoni joined Inter from Atalanta in August 2017 and went on to have two loan spells away from the club before returning in 2019 to fight for a starting spot. The centre-back has gone on to establish himself as one of Serie A’s best players and as Italy’s most valuable defender.
He has made 258 appearances for Inter to date, helping them win two Scudettos, two Coppa Italias and three Supercoppa Italianas.
Bastoni is a coveted centre-half as he is left-footed and great on the ball, which means Inter are balanced and can play out from the back on either side.
Bastoni has fantastic game intelligence and knows exactly when to make an interception or tackle, while he is 6ft 3in tall and can dominate strikers physically.
Chelsea are in need of a new left-footed centre-back following news of Levi Colwill’s ACL injury, which will rule him out for most of the campaign.
As per Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Chelsea hold firm interest in Bastoni and recently made contact with Inter to see if a deal for him would be possible.
Chelsea supposedly offered €50m, but Bastoni himself ‘politely declined’.
It seems the 26-year-old is happy in Italy and will not consider a move to the Premier League just yet.
Bastoni could have earned more money by joining Chelsea, as well as taking part in a new challenge in the world’s strongest league.
But he wants to help Inter regain the Serie A title after they narrowly lost out to Napoli last season.
It was initially thought that Chelsea would rely on Jorrel Hato after learning of the extent of Colwill’s injury, as the Dutchman possesses a similar profile.
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But Enzo Maresca has told the Chelsea board he needs a new player to bolster his backline. “The club know exactly what I think,” he said recently.
“I think we need a central defender. We are looking for an internal solution but as I said, the club know exactly what I think.”
The Chelsea hierarchy are currently split on whether to provide him with a new defender or rely on the players currently at Stamford Bridge.
Defenders such as Trevoh Chalobah, Axel Disasi and Renato Veiga have all been tipped to leave Chelsea this summer, but at least one of them could stay put if the Blues opt against a new signing.
Bastoni would have been a fantastic solution, but Chelsea will now have to go down a different route.
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