Former Leeds United supremo and current Brescia president Massimo Cellino has indicated that he would prefer to sell Chelsea target Sandro Tonali to an Italian club, but insisted that his suitors must treat the negotiations with respect.
The 18-year-old midfielder’s performances in Serie B with Brescia have earned him a place in Roberto Mancini’s Italy squad for the upcoming international games.
The young talent has attracted the interest of clubs such as Chelsea and Juventus and even AC Milan are reportedly preparing to make a move for the youngster soon.
Cellino is aware that he has a potential star of Italy's future at Brescia and admits that he wants to see the youngster help the club to earn promotion to the top tier this season.
The former Leeds supremo indicated that Tonali will leave Brescia in the future, but insisted that clubs must be respectful when it comes to the negotiations and not try to distract the player.
And Cellino did indicate that he would prefer to see Tonali become a star at an Italian club, in what will be a blow to Maurizio Sarri's hopes of taking him to Chelsea.
He told Turin-based daily Tuttosport when speaking about Tonali’s future: “If he wants to stay at Brescia, I am willing to keep him forever.
“In any case, I would like to enjoy him a bit more and focus on promotion to Serie A.
"Tonali has not called me yet but it’s logical that everyone likes him.”
And Cellino explained: “If and when the time comes to sell him, a super offer won’t be enough to convince me. Those who want him, need to show their love for me and Tonali.
“By love, I mean respect in their approach, at the right time and they should not distract the player.
“As it happened to me with [Radja] Nainggolan at Cagliari – Juventus offered more money, but Roma proved that they wanted him more and made sacrifices.
“My idea for Tonali is to see him as a protagonist at an Italian club and reviving our football.”
Tonali has been compared in some quarters to Italy legend Andrea Pirlo.
