Manchester City are reportedly one of the few clubs who are interested in acquiring the signature of 19-year-old Italian wonder-kid Sandro Tonali. According to reports in sempreinter.com, Manchester City will engage in a fierce bidding war with a few European giants with an aim to bring the central midfielder to England. French big boys Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in him.
Sandro Tonali has been hailed as the ‘next Andrea Pirlo’ by many pundits. Juventus, the club where Pirlo spent a considerable part of his career, are also keen to get Tonali to wear their colours. Their Italian rivals Inter Milan are also very keen to see him in black and blue colours next season. The player is currently plying his trade at Serie A side Brescia Calcio.
However, any move in this transfer window is highly unlikely.
Brescia president Massimo Cellino has made it clear that he will not accept any bids during this transfer window. All of this hints at a massive bidding war during the summer. Manchester City will have to spend a fortune if they want to get the midfielder to the Etihad Stadium.
Sandro Tonali: How will he be influential?
Tonali started out his career at Piacenza. He moved to Brescia when he was just 12 years of age. Since then, he has been an important member of the club. Tonali has risen through the ranks and now is a vital cog of the first-choice XI. He was also a part of the Italian side that participated in 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship where his side made it to the finals but lost 4-3 against Portugal U19.
He was also a part of the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Italian squad. Sandro Tonali’s game soon caught the attention of Italian senior team’s manager Roberto Mancini. He was called up to the senior side for UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers. Tonali made his debut against Liechtenstein and got his first start against Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Manchester City have a very solid midfield. However, Pep Guardiola is dealing with a few ageing superstars. While Ilkay Gundogan will enter his thirties next season, Fernandinho will turn 35 this May. Hence, he needs to start planning about the future from now itself.
Sandro Tonali has been a star for Brescia and is already a major part of the Italian side. At his tender age of 19, he has already made 65 senior-level appearances. Tonali is a versatile player who can also play in a withdrawn position while effectively discharging his duties of maintaining the tempo of the game, hence offering versatility- of which Pep is a huge fan.
The Sky Blues have signed Rodri to bolster their central midfield but the club’s consistency in all competitions over the last decade has resulted in the need for quality laden squad depth and Tonali is likely to offer more control in advanced areas than the Spaniard.
At his age, he won’t be challenging for a first-team spot immediately but given his high technical acumen and a decent amount of experience already gathered, he has the potential to be a key player at a high functioning club like Manchester City for years to come.