'Liverpool plot move to sign fantastic Inter Milan star', £80m bid to be accepted
Liverpool are plotting a move to sign Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni as one of their top options to strengthen their defensive options.
That is according to former Man United and Blackburn chief scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that the Reds have been keeping tabs on the 26-year-old's performances.
Arne Slot is concerned about his current options, with Ibrahima Konate's future up in the air and Virgil van Dijk suffering from a loss of form so far this season.
Football Insider revealed last month that Liverpool are interested in Bastoni, but would have to pay over £80million to land a mid-season deal, leading to uncertainty.
Meanwhile, they are not the only European giant keeping tabs on him with Barcelona strongly linked with a move for the Italy international in January.
Liverpool join race to sign Alessandro Bastoni in January
Brown told Football Insider last January that Tottenham scouts were keeping tabs on Bastoni, and he believes the defender would be perfect for the Premier League.
The former scout, who has a wealth of experience in top-level player recruitment after over a decade at Man United during their most successful period, insisted that Liverpool are the latest club to show an interest in the "fantastic" centre-back.
"Bastoni is a player I've always been a big admirer of," he told Football Insider.
"He's a fantastic defender and has been brilliant for Inter Milan for a long period of time now, so it's no surprise these types of clubs are looking at him.
"Liverpool have been keeping a close eye on him because they see him as somebody who would be an improvement on what they've got at the moment.
"He would be a great asset to any club, and one I would certainly recommend they go for.
"They're not sure what's happening with Konate, that's still very much up in the air, and Van Dijk hasn't looked like his usual dominant self this season.
"So it's the type of deal Liverpool have to be considering, because they have to be prepared for any possibility if they might need to bring players in."
Liverpool plan to spend big again in January
Bastoni is not the only big-name target for Liverpool ahead of the mid-season window, and they could be forced to spend big money on further strengthening their side.
Liverpool spent a record-breaking £446.5million during the summer transfer window, including huge deals for the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.
However, Brown told Football Insider earlier this month that Slot wants to strengthen his Liverpool side in four key positions which have led to this season's concerns.
Brown told Football Insider on 22 December that Liverpool want to sign Antoine Semenyo to strengthen their attacking options when the window opens.
This comes as Alexander Isak could now miss as long as three months with a broken leg, while Mohamed Salah has joined Egypt at AFCON.
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