Brescia sporting director Giorgio Perinetti has confirmed that Sandro Tonali appeared all set to join Inter before he eventually joined Milan.
Milan pulled off an impressive coup in the summer transfer window as they secured the signing of Sandro Tonali from Brescia on a loan with option to buy deal, with Inter instead choosing to focus their efforts upon Arturo Vidal.
In the end it was the appeal of playing for the club that he supported as a boy that proved to be too much for the Italy international, who signed a five-year deal with the Rossoneri with Brescia receiving a transfer fee that could reach €35m.
According to multiple sources, the two parties reached an agreement on an initial €10million loan fee with an option to buy set at €15million, plus an extra €10m in potential bonuses.
Brescia’s sporting director gave some background on the sale of Tonali to Milan during an interview with Mediagol.it.
“Sandro had a very important pre-Covid-19 market on an international scale, then it seemed that he and his agent had made a half agreement with Inter.
“Our president understood that the negotiation had to be conducted at another level and therefore he found an agreement directly with Paolo Maldini and in a few days, he sorted everything.
“A brilliant operation with benefits for all parties involved, which provides an ideal platform for the definitive explosion of the player, but also an important consideration for Brescia that will be needed for the complex management of this Serie B season.
“Cellino was very good at sensing that he had to change strategy and set up a deal with Milan, very fast and serious, with a deal being reached in a very short time.”
