Manchester United are ‘ready to accommodate’ Newcastle and their Saudi owners’ demands for Sandro Tonali, and a report claims some within the Magpies now ‘expect’ a sale.
After Ederson, Man Utd intend to sign one and more probably two other central midfielders. Elliot Anderson is the top choice of Man Utd owners INEOS, though it’s looking more and more like he’s heading to Manchester City.
As such, and with Jose Mourinho blocking the sale of Aurelien Tchouameni from Real Madrid, attention is now on Mateus Fernandes and Newcastle’s Tonali.
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The trusted Gianluca Di Marzio recently claimed Tonali is actually Michael Carrick’s preferred option, even more so than Anderson.
The Magpies have slapped a hefty £100m asking price on the Italian, and despite offloading Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, they would be willing to cash in if their valuation is met.
CaughtOffside recently claimed Man Utd are ready to test the waters with a bid in the £70m-£80m range.
The latest from Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb states Man Utd are prepared to raise the stakes even higher by matching the full asking price of €115m / £100m.
Adding further fuel to this transfer fire are spectacular claims from The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards, who primarily covers Newcastle.
He insisted some within Newcastle’s hierarchy don’t fear Tonali’s exit because they expect it.
In other words, there is already an acceptance among some than Tonali’s departure is inevitable, and Newcastle won’t put up as strong of a fight to retain Tonali as they did with Alexander Isak last year, assuming the big bid rolls in, of course.
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Newcastle prepared to sell Sandro Tonali to Man Utd
Edwards wrote: ‘As painful as it might be for supporters, they should also brace themselves for another big-name departure.
‘Tonali could also leave before the start of the season – although the asking price of about £100m will inevitably cause problems for interested parties – and some within the club expect rather than fear his departure.
‘The Italy international’s agent has been offering him to clubs in England and Europe, hoping to persuade someone to bid for the 26-year-old.
‘The important thing for Newcastle is their succession planning. They already know who they want to sign should Tonali leave. That does not mean he will definitely be sold, but they are prepared for that scenario.’
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