{"id":54304,"date":"2025-11-13T07:54:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T07:54:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/?p=54304"},"modified":"2025-11-13T07:54:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T07:54:22","slug":"liverpool-preparing-move-reds-may-need-to-pay-over-80m-to-secure-top-defensive-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/?p=54304","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool preparing move: Reds may need to pay over \u00a380m to secure top defensive \u2018leader\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Liverpool are reportedly eyeing a major transfer move for one of Europe\u2019s top-rated defenders \u2014 a deal that would likely demand a huge financial outlay.<\/p>\n<p>According to Mundo Deportivo, the Premier League champions are plotting an offer of at least \u20ac100m (\u00a388.3m) to land Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan, adding him to a growing list of centre-backs linked with Anfield, including Marc Guehi, Kim Min-jae, and Wilfried Singo.<\/p>\n<p>How much would Bastoni cost Liverpool?<\/p>\n<p>While it remains to be seen whether Liverpool will formalise their interest, Football Insider claims that Inter would only consider a deal worth a minimum of \u00a380m. With Bastoni\u2019s contract running until June 2028, the Serie A giants hold a strong bargaining position, and the player himself isn\u2019t pushing for a move as he looks to secure his place in Italy\u2019s potential World Cup squad.<\/p>\n<p>A January transfer appears unlikely, with Inter unwilling to weaken their defence during a tight title race.<\/p>\n<p>Bastoni: A proven defensive leader<\/p>\n<p>Widely regarded as one of the world\u2019s elite centre-backs, Marco Materazzi praised him last year, saying:<\/p>\n<p>&gt; \u201cBastoni hasn\u2019t become a leader now. He\u2019s been one since he was 18.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With over 300 club appearances and 40 international caps, Bastoni combines experience, composure, and technical class. His stats back up his reputation \u2014 he ranks in the top 1% among European defenders for assists, expected assists, and shot-creating actions, as well as being among the best for progressive passes and carries (FBref).<\/p>\n<p>Liverpool\u2019s defensive outlook<\/p>\n<p>Although Marc Guehi remains the Reds\u2019 long-term priority \u2014 potentially available on a free in 2026 \u2014 Bastoni represents an immediate, world-class solution should Ibrahima Konat\u00e9 depart next summer.<\/p>\n<p>For now, the speculation should be treated cautiously until confirmed by trusted sources in England. Still, the idea of Bastoni lining up alongside Virgil van Dijk \u2014 even for a single season \u2014 is one that would undoubtedly excite Liverpool supporters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Liverpool are reportedly eyeing a major transfer move for one of Europe\u2019s top-rated defenders \u2014 a deal that would likely demand a huge financial outlay. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Premier League champions are plotting an offer of at least \u20ac100m (\u00a388.3m) to land Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan, adding him to a growing list &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":54305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/bastoni-liverpool-1200x675.jpg.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=54304"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54306,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54304\/revisions\/54306"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/54305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=54304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=54304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=54304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}