Liverpool eye Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni to replace Joel Matip
According to Spanish outlet Fichajes (h/t Liverpool Echo), Liverpool are looking at Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni as a potential replacement for Joel Matip.
Matip’s current contract at the club expires in 2024 and many within the club believe that the club could look to offload him when that happens. Bastoni has been identified as one possible replacement for the defender has established himself as one of the top centre-backs in Serie A.
Having already made 144 appearances for Inter Milan, the ceiling is high for the Italy international who is said to be valued at $63m.
Another notable thing about the 23-year-old defender is that his current contract expires in June 2024, the same time as Matip’s and the coming transfer window could provide us with an opportunity to check Inter’s resilience over their prized asset.
Bastoni would be a shrewd addition to Jurgen Klopp’s side with his tall demeanour suiting the needs of the Premier League while his ability to play out from the back is a welcome addition to a unique skill set.
Our embarrassing loss against Real Madrid laid bare the deficiencies in the defence and respectfully, only Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate could be reckoned as being of Liverpool’s standards.
While Matip established a formidable pair with Van Dijk last season but this season with constant injuries, he just has not been able to replicate the same impact.
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Joe Gomez on the other hand has failed to deliver on the promise shown in his early days as a Liverpool player and is currently not up to the standard to become an elite centre-back.
Hence, a player such as Bastoni is a critical need for Liverpool and it would be an interesting summer transfer window where Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen many key areas of the team.