’Politely Declined’—Chelsea Hoped to Strike Bargain Deal for Inter Superstar

Chelsea reportedly made an attempt to sign Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni this summer, but didn’t come close to matching the Nerazzurri’s lofty valuation.

Baston has blossomed into one of the world’s most sought-after centre backs, having first broken into Inter’s first team set-up under Antonio Conte. His talent was evident in his teenage years, and he’s long been a standout figure in the Nerazzurri backline.

The Inter star combines vintage Italian grinta and the attributes of a utopian modern-day centre back, with Bastoni excelling on the left side of a three-man defence. He’s appeared over 250 times for the Nerazzurri, claiming seven major honours and helping them reach two Champions League finals,

He’s also been named Serie A’s Best Defender twice, and has appeared in the division’s Team of the Year three times.

In short, it’s easy to understand why the 26-year-old has garnered so much attention, but Inter have never been keen on discarding such a prized asset. His stock was sky-high entering the summer off the back of another excellent season, especially impressing in Europe, and has earned more Premier League interest—from Chelsea, in particular.

In a recent column, Gazzetta dello Sport discussed Inter’s need to rejuvenate their defence under new manager Cristian Chivu, suggesting Benjamin Pavard is the most likely to depart. However, they also noted that Inter received a €50 million (£43 million, $58 million) offer from the Blues for Bastoni earlier this summer, a bid which was “politely declined”.

Chelsea have bolstered their own backline through the signing of Jorrel Hato from Ajax, but Enzo Maresca has recently suggested that the club need one more through the door after Levi Colwill tore his ACL. The Blues are continuing to spend big further up the pitch, with deals for Alejandro Garnacho and Xavi Simons in the works, so it seems unlikely that they’ll come in again for Bastoni, even if he’s everything Maresca is looking for to replace Colwill.

Earlier reports from the summer wrote that Inter were demanding as much as €100 million (£86.4 million, $116.6 million) for the Italian international amid Saudi interest.