Manchester United have sent scouts to watch Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali, with the Red Devils still interested in striking a deal for the 19-year-old.
Tonali burst onto the scene last season in Serie B, and he quickly attracted attention from pretty much every European giant. However, no offers arrived for Tonali, with many clubs thought to be waiting to see what he can do in the top flight.
He helped Brescia earn promotion to the Serie A, so now Tonali must prove his talents against elite opposition. According to Calciomercato, United were eager to see how he is faring, so they sent scouts to monitor him during Sunday's 4-3 defeat to Bologna.
The Red Devils have been on the lookout for young midfielders for months, and they may be prepared to accelerate their pursuit of Tonali now that he is playing regular top-flight football.
Seen by many as the heir to Andrea Pirlo's throne with the Italian national team, Tonali is one of the most exciting prospects around, and United are by no means the only side who are keen to strike a deal.
At the same game, scouts from both Ajax and Borussia Dortmund were present to watch Tonali, whilst it is expected that other clubs will monitor him over the coming months.
Scouts will likely have been impressed with Tonali, who was his usual composed self at the base of Brescia's midfield. He helped them storm to a 3-1 lead, but Brescia ended up throwing it all away as they struggled with the numbers disadvantage after Daniele Dessena was sent off early in the second half.
This season, Tonali has made four appearances for Brescia, and the newly promoted Serie A side will not want to lose one of their top prospects. He remains under contract until 2021, whilst Brescia do have the option to extend that by a further year, so they will be in no rush to sell.
However, as we so often see, the financial muscle of some of Europe's elite often changes things. A sizeable offer would likely be too good to turn down for Brescia, and it certainly looks like such an approach is coming in the near future.
Source : 90min