Sandro Tonali Is as Much Inter's Loss as He Is AC Milan's Gain

Missing out on a potential future star is bad enough, but losing him to your fiercest rivals is a lot, lot, lot worse. That's the prospect Inter and Antonio Conte are now staring at after reportedly missing out on Italian football's latest wonderkid.

Sandro Tonali is close to completing a £27m move to AC Milan - initially on loan with an option to buy - from Brescia, who were relegated from the top-flight last season. The midfield man has been coveted by some of Europe's top sides in recent years including Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, but it's the club that he supported as a child who have won the race for his signature.

The 20-year-old has drawn comparisons to Juventus' new coach Andrea Pirlo, although that may have more to do with the hair than anything else as the youngster actually believes he's more like Pirlo's ex-teammate Gennaro Gattuso. A player so rugged he was nicknamed Ringhio (snarl).

"On the pitch, I'm a little more like Gattuso," Tonali explained in the post-match interview after making his national team debut.

"Ideally, I want to be a mixture of all three [De Rossi, Gattuso and Pirlo]. For the fight I put in on the pitch, that's more like Gattuso."

So who wouldn't want this starlet aiming, and so far succeeding, to incorporate the style of some of the best midfielders Serie A has ever seen into his game? Well, Inter and Antonio Conte as it turns out.

The Nerazzurri were in pole position to land Tonali but pulled out to focus on other targets, primarily N'Golo Kante and Arturo Vidal. The decision came as a shock to many, and it is one that the former Chelsea boss will be able to justify in only one way: by winning Serie A next season.

Conte is a serial winner. He won three consecutive Scudetti throughout his time in Turin before claiming the Premier League and then the FA Cup during his stint in England.

A master tactician as close to being a trophy guarantee as you can get in football he may be, but Conte probably won't be around for long. His fiery confrontational nature means he's not afraid to speak his mind whatever may be on it and that often leads to short, albeit sweet, stints at clubs.

That is why then that he has targeted 29-year-old World Cup winner Kante and 33-year-old Vidal, winner of league titles in three different countries over the inexperienced Tonali, who has suffered more relegations than he has enjoyed major trophy parades, in order to return the title to the blue half of Milan for the first time since 2010.

But now it must happen. Conte must deliver Inter's 19th league crown and their first piece of silverware for what will be ten years by the time the trophy presentation is conducted.

Inter have the best, most well-rounded squad in Serie A, especially with the addition of Achraf Hakimi to their ranks. Combine that with the fact that Juventus now look more vulnerable than ever before, and it could be now or never for Inter under Conte.

However, if Inter fail to end their barren spell in 2020/21 the Tonali oversight will look like just that - an oversight.

AC Milan's drought has almost been as long as their city neighbours, but their plight has been worse in the years since their last league triumph. No Champions League football since the 2013/14 season, 10th, eighth and seventh placed finishes, no trophy of any kind in nine campaigns has seen the Rossoneri endure their worst period in modern history.

Things are changing though. The Milan hierarchy are building a young, exciting team with a collection of stars all 22 or under who could become world-class talents. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Theo Hernandez, Ismael Bennacer, Rafael Leao and now Tonali.

Inter have allowed their fiercest rivals to snap up one of the most promising midfielders to come out of Italy in recent times in the hope of instant success. It's a gamble - and it has to pay off.