Newcastle United football club is reportedly closing in on a €70m deal for Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali, leaving fans gobsmacked. According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the English Premier League side has reached a full agreement with AC Milan, and the deal is now in its final stages.
Tonali is considered one of Italy’s top-performing midfielders, having featured 48 times across competitions for the Rossoneri last season and scoring two goals and providing ten assists. The 23-year-old is also an established Italian international, earning 14 caps and providing two assists.
Newcastle is rising as one of Europe’s heavyweights following their Saudi-led consortium takeover in 2021. The Magpies are now competing with some of Europe’s big guns for top talent, and Tonali is one of them.
Fans are stunned by the latest development and have branded it the signing of the summer. One fan even deemed the Magpies a better club than Ligue 1 champions PSG.
Tonali joined Milan in 2020, initially on loan from fellow Serie A side Brescia for €14.5m the following year. The Italian midfielder quickly won the Rossoneri’s hearts, becoming one of the first names in Stefano Pioli’s teamsheet. He made 130 appearances and won the Serie A title last season.
With Newcastle having finished fourth in the league last season, they have a UEFA Champions League campaign ahead of them. Head coach Eddie Howe is looking to bolster his squad ahead of next season.
Tonali could come up against his Gli Azzurri teammate Marco Verratti in next season’s Champions League for a new club: Newcastle. Both PSG and Newcastle have qualified for Europe’s elite club competition.