Alessandro Bastoni, one of Serie A's most recognisable defenders, is at the centre of a criminal investigation in Italy. Milan prosecutors announced on Tuesday that the Inter and Italy international is under investigation over alleged underage prostitution, linked to a company that organised lavish "all-inclusive" nights for VIP clients at clubs and private apartments across the city. According to investigators, Bastoni allegedly had sex with a 17-year-old girl on 11 July 2020 — a girl who had been recruited by the luxury events agency to attend dinners and private gatherings with wealthy clients. Wiretap recordings from that year, now published by Italian media, reportedly show Bastoni expressing a clear intention to have sex with the girl after dinner at an apartment in Cinisello Balsamo.

In one intercepted exchange, an agency representative allegedly told Bastoni the girl wanted to be with him, and the two discussed finding somewhere private. The agency's owners are also under investigation on suspicion of inducing the minor into prostitution. The girl herself, questioned recently as a witness, confirmed she had visited Bastoni's home but denied that any sexual contact took place. Bastoni's lawyer, Salvatore Scuto, is categorical in his client's defence.

"I can rule out that my client ever paid for sex, let alone had sexual relations with minors," Scuto said. Under Italian law, sexual acts with anyone aged between 14 and 18 in exchange for money or any other benefit — even a promised one — carry a prison sentence of between one and six years. The investigation lands at a particularly turbulent moment for the 26-year-old. He was already facing fierce criticism from Italian fans after receiving a red card in April's World Cup qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a dismissal that effectively ended Italy's hopes of reaching the tournament.