Newcastle have agreed a deal to sign midfielder Sandro Tonali from AC Milan for a reported $75 million upfront fee and a contract until 2029.
According to Italian and British media, Newcastle have reached an agreement on both the transfer fee with Milan as well as personal terms with Tonali. Accordingly, the St James' Park team will pay Milan 75 million USD. With additional fees depending on Tonali's performance, the total value of the deal could reach nearly 90 million USD.
On the afternoon of June 22, Newcastle's sporting director Dan Ashworth was in Milan to negotiate directly. The two sides will soon have a decisive meeting to officially sign the contract.
Tonali played 130 matches in his last three seasons with Milan. Photo: ANSA
Tonali is currently joining the Italy U21 squad in Romania to prepare for the opening match of the U21 Euro against France. According to Sky Sport Italy , Newcastle is ready to send the club's medical team to Romania to check Tonali's health to soon "close" the deal.
The St James' Park owners did the same thing in the January 2022 deal for Bruno Guimaraes, sending a medical team to Brazil to speed up the signing process.
If he passes the medical, Tonali will sign a six-year contract with Newcastle until the summer of 2029. He will receive a $9 million annual salary plus bonuses at his new club. Currently, the midfielder only receives $5 million per season at Milan.
Tonali, 23, grew up at Brescia and was once considered a copy of the legendary Andrea Pirlo. But later, he tended to play as a pure defensive midfielder, then joined Milan in the summer of 2020 and became a mainstay. In the 2021-2022 season, Tonali played 36 matches, scoring 5 goals in Serie A, helping Milan win the scudetto. Last season, Tonali played 34 Serie A matches and 9 matches in the Champions League, with Milan reaching the semi-finals of the number one playground of the continent.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe highly values the talent and experience of the 23-year-old midfielder, as well as his potential to contribute. Howe sees Tonali as a necessary reinforcement for the team to compete well on all four fronts next season, with the ambition to compete for the Premier League title and advance deep into the Champions League. With Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes will also be freed from defensive responsibilities to focus on developing his ball-playing ability and creativity in attack.
Tonali's talent in Milan.
According to Football Italia , Milan are targeting seven players to reinvest the transfer proceeds from the Tonali sale. Their top target is Davide Frattesi - a Sassuolo midfielder who shares an agent with Tonali. Frattesi is also on the radar of Inter, Juventus, Roma and is valued at $45 million by Sassuolo.
Another alternative to Tonali is AZ Alkmaar midfielder Tijjani Reijnders. The 24-year-old has been with AZ since 2018, playing 92 times for the youth team and making 96 appearances for the first team. Milan will have to spend around $20 million to convince the Dutch club to let him go.
Milan also want to strengthen their right winger, after Brahim Diaz's loan contract ends and he returns to his parent club Real Madrid. Christian Pulisic is the leading candidate, as he is on Chelsea's list of players to be sold.
Milan's backup option is Samuel Chukwueze - a Nigerian player who has been with Villarreal since 2018, scoring 37 goals in 207 matches. Villarreal value Chukwueze at $45 million, but Milan hope to negotiate a lower amount.
Finally, Milan want to sign a centre-forward after Zlatan Ibrahimovie's retirement, while Divock Origi could leave. They are leading the race to sign Marcus Thuram on a free transfer after his contract with Moenchengladbach expires. Similarly, Milan are interested in signing Daichi Kamada - a Japanese international midfielder whose contract with Frankfurt expires on June 30.
According to La Gazzetta Dello Sport , Milan have negotiated to recruit Romelu Lukaku - who played for rivals Inter last season on loan. The source said that Chelsea only asked for less than 50 million USD to buy the Belgian striker.
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