Newcastle United are bewildered by the sudden blizzard of stories surrounding in-demand midfielder Sandro Tonali.
What started on transfer deadline day as a claim that Tonali had been offered to Arsenal by his representatives – subsequently denied and then described as a “total non-starter” to The i Paper – appears to have grown legs.
Manchester United have him on a “long list” of replacements for Casemiro while sources have confirmed to The i Paper that Chelsea have received encouragement if they wanted to pursue a summer move for the Italy midfielder.
In an ironic twist, he’s one of the alternatives to AZ Alkmaar sensation Kees Smit, who is also on Newcastle’s wish list as the Magpies look to correct some of their recruitment missteps with a big summer in the market.
There’s an emerging narrative here: Newcastle, suffering a difficult transition season after the glory of winning the Carabao Cup last year, are vulnerable to their rivals picking off their best players.
At St James’ Park, they firmly reject that view. Tonali has given reassurances on his focus, happiness and future intentions in recent days and weeks and even if his stance changed, they are protected by an extension to the long-term contract he signed during his gambling ban.
Chelsea and Man Utd are among Tonali’s suitors (Photo: Reuters)Talk of them “setting a £100m price tag” for Tonali is inaccurate, with Newcastle adamant in public and private that he’s not for sale.
The problem for the Magpies is that in recruitment circles, people speak. Whether Newcastle like it or not Tonali is seen as one of the players that could be extricated from his current club and some of their Premier League rivals seem to be on manoeuvres around him for a few months.
Their inability to persuade star striker Alexander Isak to stay in 2025, while a very different situation to Tonali’s, has put them on the back foot in that respect.
They cannot afford to let Tonali tread a similar path. The same is true of Tino Livramento, whose contract talks have stalled, and Anthony Gordon, who retains admirers for his stellar work in the Champions League despite his barren run in domestic competitions.
To be taken seriously it is absolutely critical that Newcastle stick to their stance on Tonali, even if the whispers around interest in him develop into something a bit more full-throated.
There’s a bigger picture here though. What exactly is the Newcastle project in 2026? At the moment the answer to that appears to be arguing over the future of Eddie Howe, who was moved on Monday to claim he would “walk away” from the club if he didn’t feel he was the right man to take them forward.
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After three successive defeats – and with a midweek trip to struggling Tottenham a litmus test of their ability to win on the road – that debate is dominating black and white bandwidth but obscures some uncomfortable truths for the club’s ownership.
While they undoubtedly need results and European competition to maintain some on-the-field momentum, it is high time the club made tangible progress on the big ticket stuff that PIF have had in their in-tray for years.
A deal to buy land for the club’s new training ground has been agreed but no timescale has been put on the announcement. If that can be fast-tracked it would give supporters and players, like Tonali, something to hang their hat on.
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