Inter are in pole position to secure the signing of 18 year-old midfielder Sandro Tonali ahead of next season, according to FcInterNews.it.
Tonali has made 12 appearances for Serie B outfit Brescia this year and received his first senior Italy call-up during the November international break, having scored 11 goals in 41 caps for the Azzurri’s under-17 side.
Inter are one of many clubs rumoured to be interested in the Italian, who has been compared to former Brescia star Andrea Pirlo, and as things stand they are the club who is closest to signing him.
The Nerazzurri have stepped up their contacts with Brescia and the player’s entourage and are prepared to make Rondinelle president Massimo Cellino an offer of €15 million in January, which is likely to be rejected.
However they are hopeful of lowering Cellino’s current asking price of €25 million, which could rise even further following Tonali’s inclusion in Roberto Mancini’s latest Italy squad, and aim to close a deal during the mid-season transfer window.
Were Inter to secure Tonali’s services in January then they would leave him at Brescia for the remainder of the season, in order not to disrupt him ahead of his high school exams, before welcoming him to Milan next summer.
Monaco and Manchester City are also thought to be keen on signing the midfielder, but Tonali stated in an interview on Sunday that he would prefer to remain in Italy.
Milan and Roma represent Inter’s principal rivals as far as Serie A is concerned, with Juventus reluctant to invest sizeable money into a position where they already have Rodrigo Bentancur, but both are playing catch-up and are unlikely to recover the lost ground in time.
