Sandro Tonali transfer talk usually dominates the agenda when he is on international duty
Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali(Image: 2025 Claudio Villa - FIGC)View 2 Images
It's an international break so there will inevitably be some conjecture in the Italian media over Sandro Tonali's future.
The Newcastle United midfielder has jetted out to link up with his national team ahead of their double-header against Moldova away on Thursday evening and their home tie against Norway at the San Siro on Sunday.
Tonali is likely to only feature in one of those games, missing the Norway fixture with boss Gennaro Gattuso worried about a potential suspension. Tonali is currently sitting on one yellow card, and with a play-off looming, Gattuso is keen to protect his star man.
That would be good news for Newcastle, meaning Tonali gets a rest ahead of their game against Manchester City. The midfielder is big news in his homeland, with constant news stories claiming Serie A giants Juventus want to bring him back to Italy.
The stories will come this fortnight, no doubt, but Tonali has been crystal clear on his plans and future in a handful of interviews after the recent Athletic Club clash, where he was named man of the match. The 25-year-old, who is expecting his first baby with wife Giulia in the New Year, has described life in the North East as 'perfect' and prefers Premier League style of football to the Serie A.
So ahead of the inevitable transfer tales coming from the Italian media, here's a reminder of everything he had to say:
Speaking to the club website
"I try to live a very easy life. I'm happy with my family, my family is happy here, and so I think this is perfect for me, perfect for my football.
"I play very good football now, so I think everything is perfect now. I don't want to change anything for my life because everything is 100 per cent; everything is very well now and I think this is perfect for me and for my family."
Speaking to Malaysian channel, Astro
“I prefer the Premier League, because the football here is quick, it’s more physical, more aggressive. We put everything on the pitch.
“In Italy, it’s a lot of tactics. I like tactics, because when I come back and play in the national team, we play and train a lot with tactics.
“I don’t know which is the best but, for now, I prefer the Premier League.”
Speaking to the ipaper
"I don’t want to say I want to stay here 10 years and in two years, three years, four years [or] five years I will go. I want to think, just for me, year for year.
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"This is football. The last summer was tough for us, for Alex [Isak], but this is football.
"If you have an option for your life, for another team you need to think about everything. I don’t want to say ‘Yes, I want to stay here 10 years’ but now I’m happy here. I don’t think anything about another team."
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