Arsenal went out and signed Martin Zubimendi this past summer transfer window to form a ridiculously great pairing with Ballon d’Or candidate Declan Rice at the base of the midfield, but they still want one more world-class deep-lying center midfielder in Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali.
So far, there is no clear indication that Tonali wants to leave the Magpies, but the door is slightly ajar. And in an appearance on The United Stand, Ben Jacobs is reporting that Arsenal are “prepared to advance and explore a deal seriously” if the Italian international is indeed ready to leave St. James’s Park.
Per Jacobs, Manchester United are among the clubs that have shown interest in pursuing Tonali, who has been linked with Serie A giants Juventus again and is interested in a return to Italy, where he was a superstar for AC Milan before his controversial sale to Newcastle United in 2023.
Tonali has been excellent for Newcastle this season, and when he is on the pitch, he is a rare talent as a leader, athlete, and deep-lying playmaker who has been compared to a bulked up version of Andrea Pirlo, dating back to his days at Brescia and with the Rossoneri.
It seems like staying in the Premier League is the most likely landing spot for Tonali if he were to leave, and while Newcastle clearly want to hold onto both Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, there is definitely going to be temptation from the Big Six clubs in the Premier League like Arsenal and Manchester City.
Arsenal already have Mikel Merino and Christian Norgaard behind Rice and Zubi, too, so you can only imagine the levels of dominance and midfield control Arsenal would be able to exert under Mikel Arteta with the explosiveness and creative range of passing of the Italian star.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.