Man City may give up their pursuit of Elliot Anderson and go “all in” on recruiting Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali instead, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano said that the Italian international is a serious option for the Cityzens:
“Manchester City are considering the possibility of going all in on Sandro Tonali if they can get Elliot Anderson. So, just to recap, Anderson bid from Man City to Nottingham Forest – rejected. Man City are prepared to offer important money to the boy, but if they can’t agree a deal with Nottingham Forest (and Man United are closely following the situation), in that case, the number two option… is Sandro Tonali. So Man City are keeping a close eye also about the situation of Tonali at Newcastle.”
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Romano also suggested that there will be competition for Tonali if they did make an approach for the 26-year-old:
“We will have to follow that to see what’s going to happen, also with other clubs about Tonali, because another club really appreciating Sandro Tonali is Arsenal.”
“Arsenal also like Tonali. Arsenal also have been in contact with people close to Tonali. So there is also Arsenal interest in Sandro Tonali. But for Manchester City could become a priority if and only if they can’t get Elliot Anderson.”
The Anderson deal will be hard to secure
After having had an opening offer rejected for the England international, it is believed that a follow-up proposal will be made. However, there is thought to be a £40m gap between the two teams.
That is a sizeable difference in valuation, and you can’t see an agreement being reached soon. A lot may depend on how quickly City lose patience and change targets.
Man City will still have to pay a lot for Tonali
Newcastle have recently sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for nearly £70m, and they are said to be keen on keeping hold of their other top stars.
It is likely that to prise Tonali away from St James’ Park, Director of Football Hugo Viana would have to lodge a bid close to £100m. It could well be the case that no matter which of the two the club pursue, it will end up being a record signing.
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