Only One Thing Stands Between Tottenham and Alessandro Bastoni Signing

The only thing standing between Tottenham and securing Alessandro Bastoni’s signature is a big-money bid that Inter Milan won’t be able to turn down. 

Bastoni has made his feelings about signing at Tottenham clear. He’s excited about the proposition of reuniting with former manager Antonio Conte and believes in the current project at Hotspur Way.

Conte reciprocates the sentiment, holding Bastoni in high regard, seeing the 23-year-old defender as an integral piece to Tottenham’s continued ascendency. While some are claiming that Spurs and Bastoni have reached personal terms, nothing has been verified by a reputable or reliable source.

So let’s hold off before popping a bottle of bubbly. I’m still only half way through the first after hearing confirmation of Ivan Perisic’s imminent arrival on Hotspur Way.

Inter Milan, quite obviously, is not interested in selling their prized asset, who is under contract for another two years. However, if we’ve learned anything throughout the history of transfer windows, the right price can convince anyone to sell.

Inter Milan is acutely aware of Tottenham’s relatively strong financial position and will only give in after receiving an offer they cannot refuse. Some reports, again unverified, suggest Spurs have made an initial £51 million bid for their marked man.

It will probably take an additional five to 10 million pounds to get this deal across the line. Inter Milan needs the money, knows Tottenham is willing to spend it and won’t accept a market-value offer.

While Tottenham has a newfound £150 million to invest in talent this summer, they won’t splash unnecessary cash around willy nilly for the sake of it. Daniel Levy might have opened his tight purse strings, but he will never spend more than he has to on any player. History has also taught us that.

However, Conte is motivated to get this deal done. He knows how much of an impact Bastoni could have on Spurs, not only immediately but in the long term.

Bastoni has the ability and potential to rapidly push Tottenham to a new level, which they’ll require to win a trophy or two.

Under that guise, expect Spurs to pay over the top to land Bastoni. I doubt they’ll pay over £60 million to convince the top brass at Inter, but £60 million is by no means out of the question for Spurs, who have been searching for a player of Bastoni’s skill set and overall package long before Conte signed at the club.

Though the main difference is that Spurs, with Conte at the helm and a Champions League spot as leverage, can actually persuade players like Bastoni to sign on the dotted line.

Conte’s relationship with Bastoni, akin to his connection with Perisic and Fabio Paratici’s relationship with Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, is again Spurs’ most important bargaining chip.

The only thing left for Tottenham to do is provide an offer Inter cannot refuse.

We’ll learn a lot more next week as this prospective deal develops. But all the initial signs are positive and Conte definitely has his mind made up. We all know what happens when that’s the case.