Manchester City scouts are at San Siro for Samuele Ricci, so Torino director Davide Vagnati admits the Italy international is ‘capable of playing for any coach or club.’
It kicks off at San Siro at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT).
Ricci is in the starting XI for the Granata and there have been multiple reports that representatives for Manchester City have got tickets to keep a close eye on the midfielder.
He has been identified as the ideal heir to injured Rodri, who is out for the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.
Torino are a selling club in general, having already parted with Alessandro Buongiorno to Napoli this summer.
Ricci courted by Manchester City
So when director of sport Vagnati spoke to Sky Sport Italia ahead of kick-off against Inter, he was asked about the Manchester City interest in Ricci.
“I won’t comment on Manchester City,” replied Vagnati.
“What I can say is that we signed Ricci when he was very young and it was an important investment, we and the President believed in him and spent big money for this player. He believed in his work, has improved a great deal physically, he already had the vision, and I think he is capable of playing for any coach or club.”
The player turned 23 in August and has four senior caps for Italy.
A product of the Empoli youth academy, he was purchased in 2022 for €9.5m plus bonuses and a 10 per cent cut of the sell-on fee.
There are suggestions that if Manchester City want to buy him, then Ricci will cost around €40-50m.
Vagnati also referenced the coup that Torino achieved by snapping up Che Adams as a free agent, a player they had been following for a while.
“Apart from going to visit his mother in Antigua, I tried everything to convince him! I was watching him in the Premier League, had tried to get him in January, but Southampton asked for a lot of money.
“We worked to make sure the player understood that a step in Italy could let him flourish, then he could return to the Premier League or move to a bigger club. He has great quality.”