Newcastle United have been dealt a blow after it emerged that one of their players is reportedly unhappy at St James' Park, and has been contacted about a potential departure already.
Players who could leave Newcastle in 2025
After struggling through the summer transfer window amid financial fair play concerns, Newcastle United's Premier League campaign to date has been a mixed one under Eddie Howe.
Currently 12th in the Premier League, they sit just a point above Manchester United but, given the closeness of the top flight this season, they are also only five points behind fourth-placed Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle United defender Fabian Schar Related
[Newcastle have struck gold on "star man" who should be worth £60m plus](https://www.footballfancast.com/newcastle-struck-gold-on-lewis-hall/ "Newcastle have struck gold on "star man" who should be worth £60m plus")
Newcastle have found another emerging star at St James' Park.
Impressive wins against Arsenal and Tottenham have been combined with defeats at Brentford and at home to West Ham, and their most recent 4-0 win over Leicester City was their first in five games, underlining how topsy-turvy their season has been so far.
They could be busy in the January transfer window, with several players up for sale including Kieran Trippier and Miguel Almiron, while their failed summer bids for Marc Guehi show that there is money available to be spent.
Newcastle's Kieran Trippier
With European football next season far from certain though, it is unclear how much financial power the club will have in January. And, in a vicious circle, should they not clinch European football because they fail to strengthen in January, they may well be forced into sales of key men in their squad, with the likes of Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes both linked with moves to Premier League rivals previously.
Now, another player could be eyeing up the exit door at St James' Park.
Midfielder unhappy at Newcastle
That comes as Sky Sports reporter Sacha Tavolieri claims that midfielder Sandro Tonali is now unhappy in England with Newcastle, claiming that he is homesick and wishes to return to Italy.
It had previously been reported that both Juventus and former side AC Milan are keen on the midfielder, but that PIF were unwilling to part ways with the Italian, who has started seven times this season in the Premier League.
Sandro Tonali's 2024-25 season so far
Appearances
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Goals
Assists
Yellow Cards
% of minutes played
Now, Tonali's position has been revealed, with Sky claiming that he is suffering from "good old homesickness" and that a return to Italy is on his mind. It is added that Juventus contacted his entourage over a potential move as early as January, with Thiago Motta viewing the Italian as "the key element capable of helping the Old Lady to relaunch in the fight for the Scudetto this season".
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A January deal seems very unlikely though. Juventus have already spent significant sums on midfielders, signing Douglas Luiz and Teun Koopmeiners in the summer transfer window, and the Old Lady are known for their creative transfer solutions, which often include loan moves with options or obligations to buy players.
Newcastle are unlikely to accept anything other than a fee close to the £60m that they paid for Tonali, who still has almost four years left to run on his £120,000-a-week deal on Tyneside.
As a result, any potential transfer is likely to take place in the summer rather than midseason, but should Tonali be angling for a return to his homeland it would be yet another transfer headache for Howe and co to solve.