Real Madrid had scouts present at Newcastle on Saturday night to watch Sandro Tonali up close as they consider rivalling Arsenal for his services in the summer transfer window
Sandro Tonali is attracting attention from some of Europe's heavyweights
Sandro Tonali is attracting attention from some of Europe's heavyweights
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Real Madrid are ready to join Arsenal in the race for Newcastle ace Sandro Tonali - and were in the stands on Saturday night to watch the Italian in the flesh.
Tonali has become a crucial cog for the Magpies since joining the club from AC Milan and was linked with a late January move to the Gunners. That never materialised but if they are to reignite their interest then the Spanish giants could provide stern competition.
Newcastle are likely to demand £100million before they even consider letting Tonali leave. Real scouts were at St James' Park to watch Manchester City triumph, gathering intel ahead of their Champions League clash, but also had eyes on the Italian midfielder, reports The Sun.
The Magpies had to endure a summer-long transfer saga last summer, which saw them eventually them lose Alexander Isak. That has proved hugely disruptive and replacing him has been an issue with the club eager to avoid any kind of a repeat.
Over the past two seasons Tonali has played 90 times for Newcastle, underlining his importance. His partnership with Bruno Guimaraes is crucial to the team's success and the Italian remains one of the team's most impressive assets.
Tonali also enjoys a close relationship with Eddie Howe and remains grateful for the club’s backing during his ten-month betting ban, which came shortly after Newcastle had spent £55m to secure his services, leaving them without one of their most expensive acquisitions.
The 25-year-old has kept his options open when quizzed on his future, claiming that he takes one year at a time and he must "think about everything" if an offer does come his way. He said: “This is a tough question because, you know [in] football you need to think year for year.
The Newcastle ace is likely to cost £100m
The Newcastle ace is likely to cost £100m
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"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 ten years,’ but now I’m happy here. I don’t think anything about another team.”
Newcastle know that retaining their midfield ace will become all the more challenging if they miss out on European football, which looks likely unless they find some blistering form in the final months of the season.
Tonali's wife gave birth to a baby boy in January and his family are settled in the North East and are not actively looking for an exit. The player’s agent Giuseppe Riso also tried to play down talk of a move in January but did claim: "These transfer discussions will take place later. We’ll see how the season ends and then we’ll decide what to do. There’s no preference at the moment. It’s still early."