Newcastle United completed a big money deal to sign Sandro Tonali from AC Milan earlier this summer.
A report from Corriere Dello Sport (h/t SportWitness) now claims that the Magpies were initially keen on signing Nicolo Barella and they decided to move for the AC Milan midfielder after failing to sign the 26-year-old.
The Inter Milan midfielder was recently included in the 30-man shortlist for the Ballon d’Or award. Barrella has been a key player for club and country over the years and he could have been an exceptional addition to the Newcastle midfield.
After failing to sign him, Newcastle switched their attention towards Tonali and the Italian international has proven to be a quality acquisition so far. The defensive midfielder has impressed with his performances at Newcastle and the Magpies will not regret their decision to move on from Barella and sign the former AC Milan midfielder.
It will be interesting to see if Newcastle decide to return for Barella in the coming months.
The 26-year-old is a top-class midfielder and he would add some much-needed creativity and control to the Newcastle midfield. He helped Inter Milan reach the final of the UEFA Champions League last season.
The Magpies already have two quality players in their midfield – Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. The arrival of Barella could complete their midfield unit for the foreseeable future.
Inter Milan were unwilling to sell their star midfielder during the summer transfer window and it will be interesting to see if they are more receptive to the idea of him leaving the club in the upcoming windows.