Newcastle United are close to an agreement with AC Milan to sign Italy international Sandro Tonali for a fee in the region of €70million.
Subject to finalising negotiations, the Premier League club would be landing their top target to bolster manager Eddie Howe’s midfield.
Newcastle launched an ambitious bid to sign Tonali with an offer of around €50million on Tuesday, but the situation has progressed after face-to-face negotiations today.
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Tonali, who also attracted interest from Chelsea, emerged as a key target early in the window, with Howe seeking two midfielders after the club secured Champions League football next season.
The transfer could match the club-record purchase of Alexander Isak, who arrived at the club from Real Sociedad last summer.
Newcastle are also looking for a wide forward, a centre-back and a full-back but midfielders — a defensive and a more versatile option — are the priority additions.
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Tonali, who will captain Italy at this month’s Under-21 European Championship, helped Milan win their first Scudetto in 11 years in 2022, performing multiple midfield roles under Stefano Pioli.
The 23-year-old started his career at Brescia before joining Milan in 2020, making a loan move permanent the following year.
He made 48 appearances for the club in all competitions last season as Milan finished fourth but reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2007.
Newcastle, who finished fourth last season to secure a place in Europe’s top club competition for the first time since 2003, are also keen on Leicester’s James Maddison if they can strike a deal at the right price.
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‘When Milan signed him, he requested Gattuso’s No 8’
In James Horncastle’s detailed background of Tonali here, he discusses his upbringing, his Milan ‘ultra’ father and early comparisons to Milan greats…
“He made his Brescia debut aged 17 against Avellino in Serie B. His position in front of the defence, long brown hair and that swallow-necked jersey led to a lot of projection, a lot of cognitive bias, a lot of mischaracterization.
“The YouTube supercuts, social media threads and Football Manager forums billed Tonali as the next Pirlo.
“Whether it was to deflect attention or not, Tonali began claiming that the player he modelled his game on was, in fact, Gennaro Gattuso.
“When Milan signed him from Brescia, initially on loan, in September 2020, the number he requested was Gattuso’s No 8.”
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Meet Sandro Tonali: the Milan fan and €70m Newcastle target who is more De Rossi than Pirlo
(Photo: Nicolò Campo/LightRocket via Getty Images)