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Mourinho is banking on Alessandro Bastoni as his chosen central defender

Jose Mourinho is actively reshaping Real Madrid's defence, targeting Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni as his chosen centre-back as changes and challenges unfold in negotiations.

Jose Mourinho is implementing significant changes in the Real Madrid squad through his transfer decisions, showing no hesitation in signing new players in positions where he has doubts. The defense, in particular, is undergoing a profound renovation with the arrival of Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries and Ibrahima Konate. However, Mourinho has no plans to stop at these three signings and is further pursuing a second elite central defender. His position, to say the least, indicates that he has no faith in the current options.

As revealed by Miguel Serrano in a recent update, Mourinho has identified his favorite target for the second centre-back spot, and it is none other than Inter talent, Alessandro Bastoni. The Italian player has been linked with a move from Milan for several months and was initially considered a prime target for Barcelona. However, the interest of Hansi Flick's club has gradually waned and Real Madrid could take advantage of this opening.


Bastoni is considered by Mourinho to be his favorite option of all those available, and the manager holds his combination of talent and experience in high regard. If he were to arrive, there would be no doubts about his starting position. Friction between Bastoni and the Inter fans at the end of last season had been cited as one of the reasons why the player was seeking an exit in June. The situation has now changed, however, and Inter will not make the 27-year-old's transfer easy. In fact, Inter president Giuseppe Marotta even spoke in a public interview closing the door on Bastoni's exit: "I think our fans can rest assured about Bastoni's situation. He has never asked to leave, he is very happy here and we are not a sales club," he said.

It therefore remains to be seen how Real Madrid will handle Mourinho's request, especially considering that during this summer they did everything to please him. Nico Schlotterbeck is another option closely linked to the club, but Bastoni is the favourite. Last season, the Inter defender made 28 league appearances and kept eight clean sheets, averaging almost ten defensive interventions and one key pass per game.

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