A Chelsea and Newcastle swap deal involving Sandro Tonali and Raheem Sterling could work for both clubsplaceholder image
A Chelsea and Newcastle swap deal involving Sandro Tonali and Raheem Sterling could work for both clubs | Getty Images
Chelsea have been linked with a surprise January transfer window swoop for the Premier League ace this winter
Chelsea struck late to secure a precious point against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium over the weekend. The hosts looked on their way to a win after Tijjani Reijnders’s first-half strike. However, the visitors scored an equaliser in stoppage time at the end of the game through Enzo Fernandez’s dramatic late goal.
The London outfit are positioned in 5th place in the Premier League table after twenty fixtures. They are three points behind Liverpool in 4th and next up is an away trip to Craven Cottage to play Fulham on Wednesday evening. Former Hull City boss Liam Rosenior is poised to become their new manager after catching the eye at their sister club RC Strasbourg.
Chelsea linked with Sandro Tonali deal in January transfer window
Tonali, 25, joined the Magpies back in 2023 to boost their midfield department. Prior to his move to England, he had spells in his native country with Brescia and AC Milan. The Italy international, who has 30 senior caps to his name so far in his career, has since become a key player for Eddie Howe’s side and has made 83 appearances in all competitions, scoring seven goals.
Chelsea’s two main players in the middle of the park are Fernandez and Moises Caicedo. However, they could do with some more depth in that position. Romeo Lavia has struggled with injury issues, whilst Dario Essugo and Andrey Santos aren’t quite up to the required standard and Tonali would be a massive upgrade on the latter two. Therefore, luring him down to London over the coming should be seen as a no-brainer.
Chelsea should propose swap deal to Newcastle United to try and get Sandro Tonali
Chelsea may need to think outside the box in their pursuit of Tonali. They should offer their Premier League rivals a player in return plus a hefty chunk cash as part of a swap deal to try and tempt them into a deal. With that in mind, out of favour winger Raheem Sterling would be an ideal candidate to leave.
Sterling has been linked with the Magpies recently, as per Football Insider, so the switch would make sense. He has fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and most signs point towards a departure over the coming weeks. The attacker has seen his game time significantly dry up and a change of scene would do him the world of good as he aims to get his career back on track.
At the age of 31, the ex-Liverpool and Manchester City man is an experienced operator at the top level. He would be a shrewd addition for Newcastle if they brought him in and he would give Howe another option to pick from at the top end of the pitch. They have to juggle domestic football with their European duties and need as many bodies as possible to deal with their workload of matches.
Sterling was shipped out to Arsenal last term but hasn’t featured for Chelsea since his return from the Emirates Stadium. Getting him off their wage bill needs to be a priority for them to free up space and funds. If they were able to use him as part of an agreement for Tonali, that would be an added bonus. Of course, they’ll still need to pay a handsome fee for Tonali, but Sterling being thrown into the bargain could well tempt the Magpies into a surprise sale.
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