Man Utd 'make Sandro Tonali transfer phone call' as wonderkid set for move

Manchester United reportedly tried to hijack Inter Milan's move for Brescia midfielder Sandro Tonali - but may have left it too late.

Tonali appears to be on the verge of a loan move to Inter after impressing for Brescia last season, despite the club finishing second-bottom of Serie A.

The 20-year-old has been compared to Italy legend Andrea Pirlo, and has previously been linked with United and Liverpool as well as Inter, Juventus and Barcelona.

According to reports from Italy, Tonali will initially be loaned to Inter with an obligation to buy at €35million (£31m), which with bonuses could rise to €40m (£36m).

The ‘outline of a deal’ has been agreed between the two Italian sides, while an ‘armoured agreement’ has been reached with the player, according to Corriere dello Sport via Sport Witness.

But the publication also claims there was 'recently a phone call from Manchester United ' enquiring about Tonali.

However, it appears any interest from United has come too late, as Inter's agreement with Tonali is designed to protect the proposed transfer from any interference from other clubs.

It has previously been claimed that Tonali wanted to stay in Italy to continue his development, so United might have faced an uphill task trying to persuade the central midfielder to switch to the Premier League.

Brescia manager Diego Lopez reckons there are "no limits" to what Tonali could achieve in the game if he gets his move to one of Europe's big guns.

"There's a lot of talk about him, and rightly so, but he's just a young lad who is in love with the ball," the Uruguayan coach told Corriere della Sera as reported by Football Italia earlier this summer.

"I can't give him advice on what to do off the pitch. As a player, I'd say he can still improve.

"He has it all, but he can get even better. He has no limits."