Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte wants to sign Alessandro Bastoni 'at all costs'...

What's the word?

That's according to Calciomercatoweb.it, who claim that the Italian head coach has requested that sporting director Fabio Paratici brings his former Inter Milan centre-back to Spurs.

It's thought that the north Londoners could soon make their first move, which would be a swap deal involving Emerson Royal plus cash.

The report also suggests that Paratici and co will need to come forward with a convincing offer as the Serie A outfit rejected their advances during the summer transfer window.

A few months ago, InterLive relayed that €55m (£48m) would be needed to sign the Italy international in January and whilst it remains to be seen if that is still very much the case, particularly if involving a player going in the other direction, you'd imagine he's worth that - if not more.

Get it done Paratici

If the Lilywhites' hierarchy can complete a deal of this nature, then they'd be onto a winner - swapping one of their arguably worst and unreliable options for a supreme talent that's adored by the manager.

Indeed, Conte and Bastoni have worked together before, so his interest should be no surprise. The pair were at the San Siro for Inter's first Scudetto in over a decade back in 2020. The 23-year-old played a starring role by featuring in 33 matches, where he accounted for a whopping 2.45 points per game on their way to the title.

Also per FBref, the Italian stallion registered 2.34 tackles and interceptions per 90, highlighting why concentration has been listed as a strong attribute of his, whilst also registering an average of 2.98 progressive passes per 90, one of his strongest attributes, according to WhoScored.

It's perhaps no wonder Conte wants him at Hotspur Way as he's clearly a perfect fit for what his current tactical setup commands and not to mention the fact that he's also left-footed, which will be a problem again come the summer when Clement Lenglet returns to FC Barcelona following his loan spell.

Bastoni, once lauded as a "phenomenon" by Italian football expert Conor Clancy and a "Rolls-Royce" by others, has a statistical likeness to fellow transfer target Piero Hincapie, as well as current Spurs star Ben Davies, which is another good sign for his suitability in this system, via FBref.

It would also be a stunning move from Paratici to ditch Emerson in the process as the wing-back previously lambasted as a "complete liability" who's "not good enough" by talkSPORT's Jamie O'Hara has hardly set pulses racing in N17. "He's a mistake waiting to happen," he added.

Indeed, the writing has been on the wall for the Brazillian ever since Conte was appointed as just a few months into his reign, The Times suggested that he was not convinced by his ability to play the role required - something that has not changed to this day.

Hardly a surprise as he's WhoScored's worst-rated Lilywhites player to have started ten or more Premier League games this term (6.57).

Therefore, getting Bastoni in exchange for cash and the £62k-per-week dud would be pretty remarkable business from Paratici and the club's recruitment staff.

The tried-and-tested Italian is surely a far better option to have in the backline than Emerson, so Spurs must do all they can do get this one over the line before next season.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Kane: Spurs can form scary duo by signing "biggest talent in the world"...