Man City boss Pep Guardiola denies Alejandro Bastoni links

Manchester City were held to a goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium in their Champions League opener against Inter Milan. One of the keys to the game was the solid defence of the Serie A side, who despite conceding a number of chances managed to leave the Sky Blues' stadium with a point and a clean sheet. 

One of the players who led the defence against the Cityzens was Alejandro Bastoni, who in recent transfer windows had been linked with a move to the Mancunian side, something Pep Guardiola was asked about in a press conference after the draw against the Nerazzurri. 

The Spanish coach responded with just two words, ‘Not true’, to the question of whether the reigning Premier League champions had tried their best to sign the 25-year-old Italian centre-back. 

In addition, the Catalan coach also denied that Haaland had struggled to perform against Inter due to Francesco Acerbi's man-marking, as he believes it was several players who tried to stop the Norwegian striker. 

"One man? I saw six! Three close to him and three in front of him. It’s difficult for everyone, for any player in the world playing in that position against Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni, Calhanoglu, Barella and Zielinski," he added.