Thomas Hein
Manchester United are aiming to improve their defence in the offseason, and a shortlist of players has already been drawn up. One player high on the list of possible offseason transfer arrivals is Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni.
Bastoni is in the final 18 months of his contract with Inter. The Nerazzurri have stated the defender will be sold in the offseason if a contract extension cannot be reached. Inter are not flush with cash and have no plan to let Bastoni walk away for free in 2024. Nor do the Nerazzurri want to risk losing Bastoni for free by trying to negotiate a new deal next season.
Manchester United fans are preparing for the team’s big fixture against Newcastle in the Premier League. Fans of both clubs are debating whether Newcastle can get revenge on United after their Carabao Cup final 2-0 defeat. Football fans can get the latest bonus codes for New-Zealand ahead of the match to use on the fixture.
According to reports from Italy, Inter Milan’s No 1 priority is to sign Bastoni to a new deal. Bastoni currently makes around €4 million a season.
If Manchester United land the centre-back, Bastoni can expect a much higher wage. Raphael Varane is United’s highest-paid defender at £17,680,000 per season, as per Spotrac. He is Manchester United’s third-highest-paid player.
Bastoni is valued at €55m, according to Transfermarkt. The 23-year-old came through Atalanta’s academy and joined Inter in 2017 for €31.1m. Manchester United will be hopeful they can sign the defender for a cut-price rate with his contract ending in 2024.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag informed centre-back Harry Maguire that he can leave Old Trafford in the offseason.
Maguire lost his starting position with the arrival of Lisandro Martinez and is one of several Red Devils that will be available in the offseason. Now 30, Maguire has played 10 Premier League matches in 2022-23.
United paid Leicester City €87m for the defender in 2019. However, after a string of poor performances for club and country, Maguire’s value has plummeted to €30m, according to Transfermarkt.
Any sale of Maguire or other Man United players will depend on the money available for other teams in the transfer market. It is no secret the amount of money teams in Europe have available is low.
Bastoni, a ball-playing centre-back, would fit in with Manchester United’s Varane and Martinez. Ten Hag has used Luke Shaw as a centre-back at times despite the Englishman’s true position being at left-back.
Manchester United are believed to be interested in signing multiple players this season, with a centre-back central midfielder, striker, and goalkeeper on the wish list. According to one report, Ten Hag’s expertise as a manager would help Bastoni develop further at a quicker pace.
Rumours are circulating that Man United will also try to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and West Ham midfielder Declan Rice. Of course, Man United’s status as one of the world’s biggest clubs routinely means they are linked with top players.
