Newcastle United are reportedly not giving up on the potential transfer of Leicester City midfielder James Maddison alongside their pursuit of AC Milan star Sandro Tonali.
This is according to Fabrizio Romano in his exclusive CaughtOffside column, with the transfer news expert explaining that Newcastle have made an important offer to Milan for Tonali, with both clubs negotiating and edging closer to reaching an agreement on the deal.
The Italy international is a superb talent and this would be an exciting move for Newcastle as their project continues to develop, with Romano praising the work they’ve done under their current owners and manager Eddie Howe.
Discussing how Tonali’s arrival might impact Maddison, it seems the Magpies are not expected to give up on securing the Foxes ace’s signature, though they will also face competition from Tottenham to get a deal done.
“Newcastle have made an important offer for Sandro Tonali. He could double his salary with a move to St James’ Park, and talks are very advanced but they still need to discuss the structure of the deal with AC Milan in order to close the deal,” Romano said.
“The two clubs are negotiating and it’s getting very close, we could have a ‘here we go’ in the next few hours. The current offer of €70m plus add-ons is very tempting, but let’s see how it’s structured – I think the final fee could end up being slightly higher than that.
“I’ve been impressed with Newcastle’s recruitment under the current ownership and in my opinion this would be another fantastic signing: quality, mentality, leadership, Tonali is a top, top player.
“My understanding at the moment is that this signing wouldn’t necessarily affect the interest in James Maddison – for now, Tottenham are pushing for the Leicester City midfielder, but Newcastle are not giving up either.”
If Newcastle sign both Tonali and Maddison, they will surely be serious title contenders in 2023/24, while they could also have a serious impact in the Champions League.