As good as our recruitment team is in getting some deals done, it looks like our players are also putting in a lot of heavy lifting in terms of selling the Newcastle project to others.
Will Osula played a key part in helping bring Anthony Elanga to St James’ Park, with the former Nottingham Forest star even admitting that his ‘little brother’ was a partial reason for joining.
And now it looks like another one of our more established names is working behind the scenes to help bring his compatriot to the club this summer.
According to The iPaper’s Mark Douglas, Newcastle’s recruitment team has received some surprise help in the pursuit of Atalanta star Giorgio Scalvini.
He reports that international teammate Sandro Tonali has given glowing reviews of Newcastle when speaking to Scalvini on Italy duty about the club and manager Eddie Howe.
Douglas writes: ‘The Newcastle midfielder is understood to have spoken in glowing terms about the club and manager Eddie Howe while away on international duty recently.
And it may be doing the trick, as Scalvini is said to be ‘intrigued’ by a move to the Premier League’ and ‘open’ to joining our midfield maestro on Tyneside.
Tonali was already a top talent when he departed AC Milan back in the summer of 2023, but he’s proven to be a rare example of an Italian leaving the Serie A and flourishing elsewhere.
A firm fixture in our midfield who will no doubt be instrumental in our Premier League and Champions League campaigns next season, the likes of Scalvini should look to Tonali as a shining example of how a move to England could pan out for them.
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As much as Scalvini may be keen to a move to England, dealing with the Bergamo-based side is a completely different matter.
They’ve made some serious money in selling to big teams in the Premier League, with Cristian Romero and Rasmus Hojlund each netting big money for Atalanta in the past few years.
There have been conflicting reports as to just how much it would cost to sign Scalvini this summer, but Douglas’ same piece states £50m would be needed to get Atalanta’s attention and at the table for talks.
It’s thought Man Utd, Spurs and Inter Milan are also keen, mixed in with the fact this could be our last chance to buy him while others hold back after an injury hit 2024/25.
Could we ‘buy the dip’, capitalise on a recent ACL (much like Tino Livramento in 2023) and get Tonali to have an Osula-like impact on our latest pursuit? Time will tell.