Real Madrid make Inter Milan star their ‘priority’ signing – report

The speed and purpose with which Real Madrid have been moving this summer is unprecedented, but that also puts into perspective the urgency the administration see in improving the squad.

Two back-to-back trophy-less seasons at Real Madrid, after all, is something unacceptable and Florentino Perez has taken a stand to make the club the best in the world once more.

Jose Mourinho’s return to the club was the foundation of the new blueprint, and the Portuguese manager has gone on a spending spree in defence. However, he is far from done.

The new priority

Real Madrid have already signed Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries at left-back, centre-back and right-back respectively this summer.

MARCA (h/t The Madrid Zone), however, relay that there is yet another defensive signing that Real Madrid see as a ‘priority.’

Bastoni is a ‘priority’ target for Real Madrid. (Photo by Lars Baron/Getty Images)

Indeed, the player in question is none other than Alessandro Bastoni, whom Los Blancos have been actively pursuing in recent days as their preferred target.

Jose Mourinho loves Bastoni’s profile and sees him as the ideal fit for his system, not only in terms of his defensive aptitude but also his ability with the ball at his feet.

He is, thus, the club’s priority, and one can expect moves in the coming days.

No contacts yet

Perez and Co. have been monitoring Bastoni’s situation for a long time now and have seen him as their preferred defensive signing for some time as well.

The new boss loves Bastoni’s profile. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Yet, as relayed earlier this week, they have not made any formal approach or offer for the Italian star.

There have been no contacts between Inter Milan and Real Madrid over Bastoni’s transfer this summer, and the entire saga is yet to get started.

Inter Milan would preferably like to keep the player, but they are also aware of his complicated relationship with fans and the chance of a departure. A fee of around €70 million is anticipated to be sufficient for the move.

Last season, the 27-year-old defender made 28 league starts for Inter Milan and oversaw eight clean sheets in the process. He averaged over ten defensive actions and close to one key pass per game.