Manchester United have been linked with a summer move for Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
The 23-year-old Italian is one of the most sought after centre-backs across Europe and Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils are interested in bringing the left footer to Old Trafford.
If Manchester United are willing to pay the reported £51.2m asking price that the Nerazzuri seek, Bastoni could then become the sixth Italian player that played for Manchester United.
Players that have played for both Manchester United and Inter Milan
With interest in Bastoni seemingly intensifying, United in Focus takes a look at ten players that have played for both Manchester United and Inter Milan during their careers.
Alexis Sanchez
The first name on the players that have played for both Manchester United and Inter Milan is arguably the most notorious.
The Chilean’s move to Manchester United proved to be nothing short of a disaster and he only spent 18 months at the Theatre of Dreams before being sent out on loan to Inter.
United struggled to get Sanchez off the wage bill and had to contribute to some of his wages while he made the loan move to Milan.
Following five goals from 45 games for the Red Devils and a season on loan at the San Siro, Sanchez joined Inter on a free transfer in September 2020.
The 33-year-old has fared better upon his return to Italy, but the forward is expected to leave Inter this summer, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Romelu Lukaku
After two years at United, which brought 42 goals from 96 games, it was clear that the Belgian didn’t form a key part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans and Inter Milan splashed out £74m on the striker.
Under the tutelage of Antonio Conte, Lukaku shined in Italy and the pair won the Scudetto together last season.
After scoring 64 goals from 95 games for the Serie A giants, Chelsea paid £97.5m to re-sign their former player last summer.
But its been a difficult first year back in England for the 29-year-old which brought just 15 goals. Lukaku often found himself on the bench in the big games and his future is unclear heading into the summer.
Matteo Darmian
Similar to Lukaku, Darmian’s playing prospects significantly shifted when Solskjaer took the reins and he opted to return to Italy.
Darmian came off the bench in the 2016 FA Cup success under Louis van Gaal and he started United’s 2017 Europa League win against Ajax under Jose Mourinho.
The versatile full-back made 92 appearances for the Reds before joining Parma in September 2019. After a season with the I Crociati, the Italian international joined Inter on loan and was reunited with Lukaku and Sanchez.
The 32-year-old joined the Nerazzuri on a permanent deal last summer and has featured frequently under Simeone Inzaghi, winning the Italian Cup and Super Cup this season.
Ashley Young
At one stage Conte had four former Manchester United players in his Inter side with Young spending 18 months under the now Tottenham manager.
The former United captain, who was brought to Old Trafford by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011, moved to Italy in January 2020 and lifted the Serie A title under Conte last year.
The 2013 Premier League winner returned to England last summer for a second stint at Aston Villa and the 36-year-old made 25 appearances for the Villains.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
At the age of 40, the Swedish legend was part of the AC Milan side that won the Scudetto for the first time in eleven years and he revealed that for the past six months he played without an anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
After moving from Juventus in 2006, Ibrahmiovic spent three years donning the black and blue stripes of Inter and he spent his final season at the club with Mourinho before joining Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.
Zlatan and Pep only spent one season together before the iconic Swede move back to Italy with the Rossoneri.
Following four years with Paris Saint Germain, Ibrahimovic and Mourinho were reunited at Manchester United and in his solitary full season at the club Zlatan scored 28 goals and helped United win the League Cup and Europa League.
Paul Ince
Ince spent six years in the Manchester United engine room following his arrival from West Ham United and he won ten trophies with the Red Devils, including back-to-back Premier League titles.
With more than 280 appearances under his belt for Manchester United, Ince moved to Italy in 1995 where he spent two seasons.
After losing a UEFA Cup final, Ince didn’t win any trophies during his two years with Inter before moving back to England and joining United’s fierce rivals Liverpool, in what was a controversial move.
Following spells with Middlesbrough, Wolves and Swindon Town, Ince finished his playing career at Macclesfield Town and he’s currently the manager of Reading.
Diego Forlan
Manchester United paid £6.9m to sign the Uruguayan striker from Independiente in January 2002, but despite being a cult hero for his brace in a win at Anfield, the Reds were never able to see Forlan in full flow.
Forlan finished his United career with 17 goals from 97 games, as well as a 27-game goal drought, before heading to La Liga with Villarreal.
His impressive form with the Yellow Submarine, which included winning the European golden boot in his first season with 25 goals, caught Atletico Madrid’s eye and they signed him for £14m in 2007.
After finishing his career for the El Madrigal side with 58 goals from 125 games, Uruguay’s third all-time top scorer took his career up another notch with Los Colchoneros.
Forlan netted 96 goals from 198 matches for the Spanish capital side, 32 of which were scored in the 2008-09 La Liga campaign. He also scored both the goals in the 2010 Europa League to crush Roy Hodgson’s Fulham.
After four years with Atletico, Forlan spent a season with Inter, tasked with replacing Samuel Eto’o, but he only scored two goals from 22 appearances before moving to Brazil.
Laurent Blanc
Prior to moving to Manchester United in 2001, the Frenchman who won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championships spent two years with Inter Milan.
Blanc, who Sir Alex Ferguson had courted for years prior, was a regular in his two years at the San Siro before making the move to the Premier League in the latter stages of his career.
At the age of 35, Blanc had the unenviable task of filling the void left behind at Old Trafford by Jaap Stam.
After winning the Premier League title in his second season at the Theatre of Dreams, Blanc called time on his playing career and has embarked on a career in management with his most recent position being in the Middle East.
Mikael Silvestre
After a solitary season with Inter, Sir Alex bolstered his 1999 Treble winning side by signing Silvestre that summer.
Silvestre spent eight seasons under the legendary Scotsman and amassed 360 appearances for United where he played either at left-back or centre-back.
The Frenchman’s pace and crossing ability from wide left saw him become a huge asset in the Red Devils side and at a time when he was competing with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Patrice Evra, Silvestre remained a vital cog in the United side.
After four Premier Leagues, one Champions League and one FA Cup, Silvestre joined Arsenal where he spent two years.
Nemanja Vidic
The dominant Serbian was part of one of the greatest centre back partnerships in football alongside Rio Ferdinand at Old Trafford.
Vidic won five Premier Leagues and the 2008 Champions League during his eight-and-a-half years in Manchester.
But the former Spartak Moscow man and Ferdinand both left United in the summer of 2014 after an underwhelming first season following Sir Alex’s retirement.
The aggressive and dominant Serbian joined Inter Milan and made 28 appearances for the Italian club before announcing his retirement in January 2016.
Alex Telles
The Brazilian international spent a season on loan at the San Siro from Turkish giants Galatasaray during the 2015-16 campaign.
Telles moved to Porto the following summer and spent four-and-a-half years with the Dragons where he established himself as one of the most attacking left-backs across Europe.
Manchester United paid Porto £13.6m to sign Telles in October 2020, and the 29-year-old like several of his teammates will be facing an anxious wait to see whether he forms a part of Erik ten Hag’s plans.
Juan Sebastian Veron
We have reached the end of the players that have played for both Manchester United and Inter Milan – and we bow out with a classy ball-playing Argentine technician.
In July 2001, Manchester United made Veron the most expensive player in British history at that time by paying Lazio £28.1m to bring the midfielder to Old Trafford.
Champions League nights often brought the best out of United’s number four, but he was unable to consistently transfer those eye-catching European performances over to domestic games.
After two seasons at the Theatre of Dreams, Veron joined Chelsea for £15m where he spent one season before joining Inter Milan on a two-year loan.
In the summer of 2006, the 72-cap Argentinian international re-joined his boyhood club Estudiantes where he finished his career.