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Both Manchester United and neighbours City could be set to battle it out to sign 17-year old Inter Milan defender Lorenzo Pirola.
The teenager has been playing for Italy at the Under-17 World Cup in Brazil, and has already made a big impression at the tournament, helping his country reach the knock-out stages with victories over Mexico and the Solomon Islands. He also scored on Sunday as his side went down to a 2 -1 defeat at the hands of Paraguay, with scouts from City in the stadium to watch him. United representatives saw him play against Mexico.
Pirola has yet to make his first-team debut for Inter Milan, but is highly regarded at the club having come through their academy system.
Named in the team of the tournament at the Under-17 European Championship, Inter are unlikely to allow Pirola go without a fight, although the Premier League sides could make him an offer he will find hard to resist.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.