Sandro Tonali Ready to 'Make the Right Sacrifices' to Become One of World's Best Players
By Tom Gott
Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali has admitted he is confident in his ability to become one of the finest players around.
The coveted 20-year-old has been viewed as one of the hottest prospects around ever since breaking into the Biancazzurri first team towards the end of the 2017/18 campaign, and his form in Serie A this season has only intensified the hype around him.
Inter are understood to be leading the race for his signature, with Juventus also monitoring the Italy international, and Tonali admitted to La Gazzetta dello Sport's Sportweek that he is ready to do whatever it takes to become the best.
"I know that with the right sacrifices I can reach the top of the world," the youngster said. "I have not even achieved half of what I have in mind, but I feel strong enough to do it."
Whenever anyone mentions Tonali, Andrea Pirlo's name is never far behind. Tonali has long been touted as the heir to Pirlo's throne in the Italian national team, but the Brescia man has understandably distanced himself from such comparisons.
“No, I’m not his heir,” Tonali added. “To begin with, I don’t have his long, millimetre-precise through balls. And I do envy him.”
Pirlo recently insisted that Tonali is a 'more complete player' than he ever was during his time with Milan, Inter and Juventus, claiming that the only reason the two are compared is because they both have long hair and both began their senior careers with Brescia.
Pirlo left Brescia for Inter in 1998 and Tonali is expected to follow suit this summer, with the Nerazzurri ready to reinvest the €50m raised by Mauro Icardi's move to Paris Saint-Germain to get a deal over the line.
Juventus are hesitant to spend more than €35m to land the 20-year-old after analysing their financial situation in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, leaving Inter with a relatively obstacle-free path to sign Tonali.