Man City 'trying to persuade Alessandro Bastoni to sign' and other transfer rumours

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is reportedly trying to persuade Inter Milan's Alessandro Bastoni to join the Blues.

The 23-year-old centre-back has been a key member of the Serie A club's defence this season and he remains highly regarded at Inter, having made 32 appearances so far. However, Bastoni is entering the final year of his contract in June and this has led to him being linked with the exit door.

According to Calciomercato, Guardiola has been a long-term admirer of the Italian international and he has made his feelings on the player clear. It is understood that the Catalan boss has told the City board that they should be doing all they can to pursue Bastoni should he become available.

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Reports elsewhere have suggested that Aymeric Laporte will be looking to leave City at the end of the season having become frustrated by his lack of playing time recently. And, Bastoni is seen as a player who could theoretically replace Laporte due to being left-footed.

Meanwhile, Turkish club Altay's technical director Tuna Uzumcu has claimed that City have put a bid in for their 17-year-old defender Efe Sarikaya. Despite only being a teenager, Sarikaya has managed to become a key player in the squad which has reportedly earned him admirers at top European clubs.

In an interview with Radyospor, Uzumcu claimed that Guardiola's Blues are one of the teams that have already submitted a bid for Sarikaya. He said: "Official transfer offers from Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla clubs came for Efe Sarıkaya.

"However, our player is open to development and we have not accepted the offers at this stage."

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