Tonali completes initial loan move to Milan

Milan have announced the signing of Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali on loan with an option to buy from Brescia.

Tonali teased an imminent move to the Rossoneri on Tuesday when he posted an image of himself wearing a Milan shirt as a child on Instagram.

His medical was reportedly scheduled for Wednesday, and the transfer from Brescia was soon confirmed.

A fee of €35million had been mooted, but Milan initially only brought Tonali in on loan.

A Milanista born and bred joins the family ?????ℴ ?ℴ???? #ReadyToUnleash #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/k9JiVpWoNw
— AC Milan (@acmilan) September 9, 2020

"We are excited to welcome Sandro to the Rossoneri family," Milan director Paolo Maldini said.

"As a talented, young midfielder, he will not only embrace the values of AC Milan but also make a significant contribution to the future success of the club."

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis added: "We are delighted to welcome Sandro Tonali to AC Milan.

"He is one of the most promising young talents in international football.

"Sandro has a love for the club and an understanding of its values that will add to what we want to build together."

The 20-year-old, compared to Italian great Andrea Pirlo, had been tipped to join city rivals Inter following his exploits for Brescia.

A technically gifted midfielder renowned for his dribbling and passing abilities, Tonali scored once and registered seven assists for Brescia as they were relegated from Serie A in 2019-20.

Tonali – who also reportedly ignored offers from Barcelona and Manchester United – had played a key role in Brescia's promotion to Italy's top tier in 2018-19.