Alessandro Bastoni commented on the transfer market rumours surrounding him, Milan’s Scudetto celebrations, the return of Romelu Lukaku and the growth of rivals Juventus.
The 23-year-old Italian defender had a great outing last campaign and entered the summer as the subject of numerous transfer rumours, with many suggesting that a move to Antonio Conte’s Tottenham was on the cards. Ultimately, a departure never came and now he looks set to remain part of Simone Inzaghi’s squad for the foreseeable future.
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Bastoni first discussed how it felt to see rivals Milan celebrate their Scudetto win.
“I’ll admit, they were hard images to digest, but it’s normal. Not winning already is bad, if it’s the neighbours from home who win, even more so….
“We will do everything to be the ones celebrating in the city next time.”
The 23-year-old touched on the transfer market and the rumours linking him with a departure.
“I never had the slightest doubt about leaving Inter, here I have everything I need to feel good and express myself at my best. I feel great with my teammates, with the club, I adore Milan and so why go elsewhere?
“I am happy to be here, I see myself for many more years with this shirt and, in the meantime, I hope to win a lot more.”
He gave his thoughts on teammate Milan Skriniar, who has heavily been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain over the last few weeks.
“He embodies the Inter spirit. Milan have grown over the years and we’ve grown with him in the department we’ve built together.
“In addition, he is my best friend in the squad. It would be a real shame if he left us right now, I hope he stays. I think we will still do many great things together.”
The Italian defender spoke about the return of Lukaku, who came back only 12 months after making an €115m move to Inter.
“I found the exact same great person and the same great striker. I was not impressed by his choice, when you are so comfortable somewhere, you somehow want to go back there. It’s a natural, human feeling.
“We welcomed him back in a great way, there are no regrets or remorse, all we need now is for him to make us win like 2 years ago. Romelu and will give us a big hand in Italy and Europe. One thing is certain, we’re aiming for the maximum in every competition.”
Finally, Bastoni talked about Juventus’ summer transfer window and their quality ahead of the upcoming season.
“They’ve improved a lot, I see them as the most dangerous opponent. They’ve signed a lot of strong players like Di Maria, Pogba and Bremer, they’ll be a battleship. Bonucci says Juve is back?
“It’s true, but it’s also true that Inter never left. We know our qualities and strength, we won the Scudetto two years ago and we have everything to repeat that.
“We have been playing together for more years, that improves the understanding, the game mechanisms, the strength of the squad. So yes, in my opinion our team is stronger than last year and can aim to do well in every competition.”
@Covid, Calciopoli Scudetto. Did you write in English? It seems like a comment from 5 y.o.