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Liverpool are reportedly weighing up a move for Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni.
The Italian has caught the attention of the reigning Premier League champions with his performances in defence for Antonio Conte's side. Bastoni has been a defensive stalwart for Inter Milan this season and is on course to win the Scudetto with the Nerazzurri.
Jurgen Klopp believes that the defender could be the answer to Liverpool's defensive woes and plans to partner Bastoni with Virgil van Dijk.
According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Liverpool will have to pay €50 million to secure the services of Bastoni. Bayern Munich and Barcelona are also reportedly interested in the defender. Inter Milan, however, have shown no indications that they could part ways with the Italian.
Inter Milan are currently top of the Serie A, with 10 clean sheets in 24 league games this season. Bastoni has been a mainstay of Antonio Conte's defence and his stock has risen massively since the start of the season.
Liverpool need quality reinforcement in defence
Liverpool have still not been able to find to a suitable replacement for Virgil van Dijk in defence.
Joel Matip has been injury prone throughout his Liverpool tenure and has not had a consistent run of games too. Meanwhile, Joe Gomez showed promising signs last season, but injuries have derailed his campaign as well.
January signing Ozan Kabak is still unproven in the Premier League and has work do to make it into Jurgen Klopp's starting XI.
If Liverpool are able to land Bastoni, they would have someone to rely upon for years to come. The 21-year-old Italian is yet to reach his full potential and could provide Liverpool with a strong foundation to build their defence upon.
However, Antonio Conte seems to be a huge fan of his compatriot, so Liverpool could find it tough to tempt Bastoni away from Inter Milan in the summer.
Liverpool look like they are going to finish the season without any silverware and are currently in a scrap to finish in the top four of the Premier League. Meanwhile, the Nerazzurri are atop the Serie A standings; if Bastoni wins the competition, he may have no reason to leave the San Siro club.
