Liverpool are reportedly among a number of European giants said to be interested in €50m-rated Brescia midfield ace Sandro Tonali.
The 19-year-old impressed as he helped Brescia secure promotion from Serie B last season, while he has one goal and two assists in 19 outings so far this year as he has made the step up and proven he belongs at this level.
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While the focus between now and the end of the season will be on keeping Brescia in the top flight, which looks like it could be a difficult task as they sit in the bottom three after 19 games but only one point adrift of safety, speculation is rife over his future from this summer onwards.
As reported by Goal Italy, via the paper edition of Corriere dello Sport, it appears as though a long list of European giants are lining up to try and prise Tonali away from Brescia, with Liverpool said to be in the lead when it come to interest from England, ahead of the two Manchester clubs.
Further, it’s suggested that Juventus, Inter and Paris Saint-Germain are also all keen on the Italian international, but it won’t be cheap for any of them to land his signature as it’s noted that he has a minimum €50m price-tag.
The report would suggest that Juve perhaps have the best chance of signing Tonali, but much will seemingly depend on whether or not he wants to stay in Italy or experience the Premier League at this stage of his career.
While he has the creativity and technical quality to add real class to the Liverpool midfield in his preferred deep-lying playmaker role, question marks would perhaps be raised over his ability to adapt to the physical nature of the Premier League and the pace of the game in England.
Given how he has developed as a player so far, he could be backed to overcome such hurdles, but it remains to be seen if Liverpool can fend off the competition and take him to Anfield, or if Juventus will land another top young talent after signing Dejan Kulusevski earlier this month.