Chelsea to battle Serie A giants to sign 'new Pirlo' Tonali

The Blues are keen on the €20 million-rated Serie B starlet, but a host of Italian clubs are also chasing his signature

are tracking Brescia wonderkid Sandro Tonali, who is also drawing interest from a host of major clubs such as , , and , Goal understands.

Though interest in the teenager is continuing to grow, Juve are currently understood to be the front-runners for Tonali, who is rated at €20 million (£17m/$23m).

Should they land Tonali, Juve would look to loan out the youngster to continue his development, with and candidates put forward by the Italian champions.

The 18-year-old has been so impressive in Serie B that he has earned his first call up to the senior Italy national team and is being widely described as the heir apparent to legend Andrea Pirlo.

Tonali made his professional debut in August 2017, lining up for Brescia in Serie B at age 17.

From there the central midfielder developed into a regular starter for his team, making 19 appearances (17 starts) for Brescia in 2017-18.

Tonali has continued to impress this term, starting all 10 of Brescia's league matches and delivering three assists.

The youngster's range of passing and reading of the game have seen him described as 'the new Pirlo' and several big clubs have begun to take notice.

Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has identified Tonali as a player he likes and would be key to any move for the teenager, who could be used as an alternative for Jorginho in their midfield.

Though the Blues are keen to offload some players in January rather than increase the size of their squad, Sarri could make room for the talented Italy prospect.

Meanwhile Napoli are also keen on Tonali in their own bid to replace Jorginho after the 26-year-old joined the Blues this summer in a €65m (£57m/$86m) move.