Manchester City and Chelsea have both shown interest in highly rated Inter Milan youngster Lorenzo Pirola.
The young defender is one of the ‘most promising’ prospects in Inter’s youth set up, with Antonio Conte having already lined him up for a promotion to the first-team setup.
The Italian coach played an ‘important role’ in ensuring the club signed the youngster to a new deal, which will see him tied down to the Serie A club until 2025.
However, before that deal was agreed, there was interest from elsewhere in taking the 18-year-old away from the San Siro according to Serie B News.
Among the suitors in Italy were Juventus, who were ‘intent of taking advantage’ of his failure to sign an extension to his old deal.
It seems, though, their efforts were rebuffed by Inter who ‘do not want to lose control’ of Pirola, who, as far as they are concerned, is a player who will be a first-team regular in future.
They are instead looking at a potential two-year loan deal somewhere, and have discussed including him in that capacity as part of a deal for Hellas Verona’s Marash Kumbulla this summer.
City and Chelsea being interested in him will come as no surprise given both have made a habit of signing top talent from around Europe for years.
Manchester City, in particular, seem desperate to find a new centre back and have been linked to numerous up and coming youngsters in recent months, Kumbulla included.
It seems Pirola also found himself on their list of potential targets but, as has been the case with several others thus far, his club simply weren’t interested in talking about a deal.
