Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keeping tabs on Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni ahead of a potential bid in the summer.
A report by FCInter1908 states that Bastoni's agent Tullio Tinti met with Inter's sporting director Piero Ausilio. The result of the meeting was that the Italy international could be sold this summer, owing to how highly in-demand he is.
The 23-year-old has been an ever-present in the Nerrazzuri backline and has made 117 appearances in all competitions for the Italian champions since joining in 2019.
Despite his importance to the team, the club could part ways with him, as there is a focus on balancing the club's net spend in the transfer market.
The report, however, states that no official bid has been received yet for the former Atalanta man. Erik ten Hag is said to be a long-term admirer of the centre-back and could make him one of the new arrivals to kickstart the new era at Old Trafford.
Tottenham are also said to be monitoring Bastoni, although no concrete offer has been tabled yet by the north London outfit.
Bastoni's focus will be on helping Inter Milan gain maximum points in their final Serie A game against Sampdoria on Sunday. They need city rivals AC Milan to lose away to Sassuolo to leapfrog them and successfully defend their Serie A crown.
Manchester United's shambolic defense should rank high on Erik ten Hag's list of problems to solve
Erik ten Hag has his work cut out in the coming months, owing to the myriad of problems that Manchester United currently face.
However, one of the most pressing problems in need of a solution is the club's porous defense.
The Red Devils' backline has been breached at will this season, with David de Gea oftentimes the saving grace in preventing scandalous defeats.
So far, United have conceded 56 goals in just 37 matches, which marks their worst defensive record in the Premier League era.
For context, only Leicester City have conceded more among the teams in the top half, while relegation-threatened Burnley have a better defensive record than Manchester United.
Raphael Varane's arrival last summer was expected to bolster the club's backline but the highly-experienced Frenchman has struggled for consistency at Old Trafford.
If United are to get back on track in their quest to rise to the top, it is imperative that they become more compact at the back.