Pep Guardiola was spotted in conversation with Sandro Tonaliplaceholder image
Pep Guardiola was spotted in conversation with Sandro Tonali | Sky Sports
Manchester City could look to sign the Newcastle United star in the summer transfer window.
Man City asserted their dominance over Newcastle United as they brushed them aside to reach the Carabao Cup final in midweek. They could be about to pile even more misery onto Eddie Howe's side in the coming months.
City already held a 2-0 lead heading into the semi-final second-leg and it didn't take long for them to put the tie to bed. Omar Marmoush netted an early brace to all but kill the game, before Tijani Reijnders added a third before the half-time break. Anthony Elanga gave Newcastle a slight glimmer of hope when he netted a consolation goal after the restart, but there was to be no way back for the visitors.
The Blues will face Arsenal in the showpiece final at Wembley Stadium next month as they look to win the League Cup trophy for the ninth time in their history. It is that dominance that still makes City an attractive prospect in the transfer market.
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Guardiola speaks to Tonali at full-time
Pep Guardiola is well-known for his passionate post-match conversations, and his latest one caught the eye of many Newcastle supporters. The City boss spoke to several opposition players after the Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg, but it was his chat with midfielder Sandro Tonali that upset some sections of the away support.
City are understood to hold an interest in Tonali over a potential transfer and the sight of him talking to Guardiola did not go down well with some Newcastle fans. The Blues boss was filmed with his arm around the 25-year-old, just days after his agent had reportedly offered him to Arsenal on deadline day of the summer window.
Tonali could be viewed as a potential replacement for Bernardo Silva at the end of the season, with City expected to be in the market in the summer. Even if there was nothing more to the conversation, it did not sit well with some of the supporters after the recent speculation over the Italian's future.
Speaking after the game, Guardiola was asked about the context of their chat: “My Italian is perfect, so that's why I can communicate with him. And we have an incredible friend in common from Brescia, Edoardo Piovani. And every time we are connected, I know his father some time ago and all the time we met we talked about his experience in Milan, the supporters, and how happy he is in Newcastle. He's a really, really top player, top, top, top player!"
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