Tonali has Barca ready to break the bank, just how good is the 19-year-old star?

Brescia's 19-year-old sensation Sandro Tonali has Barcelona prepared to break the bank for his services and plenty more of Europe's elite lining up to sign him.

As the footballing world has been drawn to a halt, plenty of clubs are carefully planning out their next move in the transfer window and Barcelona are gathering their artillery for an explosive pursuit of the young midfielder.

The latest reports in Italy claim the Catalan giants are readying a £52million bid plus two young players for Tonali, but they are not the only ones hunting him down.

Here, Sportsmail profiles the Serie A wonderkid who is making his mark on plenty of scout's watchlists.

WHAT TYPE OF PLAYER IS TONALI?

To give you an idea, Tonali has been referred to as the 'ideal heir to Andres Iniesta in the Barcelona midfield'.

At 181cm, he stands only slightly taller than Iniesta but replicates him closely with his style. The midfielder has a calming presence on the ball and dictates the tempo of attack as well as contributing in defence. You'll rarely find him clattering into opponents, as he glides around the pitch reading the game magnificently.

He is also a danger from both free-kicks and corners and can strike, glide or curl a pass, shot or cross to near perfection. An all-rounder, to put it frankly.

WHAT IS TONALI'S JOURNEY UP TO NOW?

Tonali joined his current club Brescia in the youth system in 2012 from Serie C side Piacenza. He made his professional debut for the club in 2017, aged 17, against Avellino in a Serie B match.

The following season, Tonali was a regular starter in the team as Brescia won promotion to Serie A and his performances did not go unnoticed.

He was called up to the Italian national team for the first time and won the Serie B Player of the Year award.

Before the 2019-20 season, he was named in UEFA's 50 promising young players to watch for the upcoming campaign.

The midfielder continued his rise through the ranks through the rest of 2019, as he made his Serie A debut, international debut and scored his first Serie A goal - an incredible long-range free kick into the top corner.

Many have likened Tonali to Italian great Andrea Pirlo - not just for his flowing long hair - but for his presence on the pitch. The 19-year-old also mentioned Steven Gerrard and Luka Modric as influences.

WHO ARE THE CLUBS INTERESTED IN SIGNING HIM?

Tonali has a pretty impressive catalogue of clubs interested in his signature.

Juventus, Liverpool, AC and Inter Milan, PSG, Manchester United and Chelsea are all monitoring the young star, but it is Barcelona who lead the race and are desperate to sign him, according to Corriere della Sera.

The Italian publication claim that the LaLiga side are preparing a bid of £52million plus two young players in order to land the Brescia man. The two players in the deal are believed to be a left-back and a central midfielder.

WHAT WOULD HE ADD TO THE BARCELONA MIDFIELD?

Barcelona are still looking for a permanent replacement since they lost the two golden boys Andres Iniesta and Xavi a few years back.

Central midfielders such as Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal have forever been in the shadows and the promise and faith shown in young talents Arthur Melo and Frenkie De Jong hasn't quite paid off in the way they had hoped.

Tonali would become the anchor in the midfield, surpassing the ageing Rakitic and Vidal in the ranks and also Arthur - who is linked with an exit.

He has already proven he can adapt and learn quickly, making the jump up to Serie A seamlessly and has been unfazed by his experiences on the international stage.

With Sergio Busquets around, Barcelona will hope he could take Tonali under his wing and show him the craftsmanship of playing in that deep-lying role before he retires.

The Italian would be a welcome addition for the fans, who have not been convinced by last summer's bg-money acquisition De Jong.

WILL HE DEFINITELY LEAVE THIS SUMMER?

Both Brescia and Tonali have remained rather quiet when it comes to a summer move.

The reality of the situation is that Tonali has a huge valuation and plenty of clubs ready to battle it out, which could see the bidding get even higher. With all the financial turmoil facing clubs due to the coronavirus pandemic, Brescia would be more likely to cash in on their most valued asset at this fragile time for the club.

However, with nothing yet clearly addressed apart from the strong interest from Barcelona and the uncertainty surrounding football, there could be a few more chapters in this unfolding saga.