Having starred at the heart of the Newcastle midfield for much of last season, Tonali has been the subject of mounting transfer speculation in recent weeks.
Media outlets in his homeland have repeatedly linked him with a possible return to Italy this summer, while Barcelona and Real Madrid have also been touted as potential destinations for the midfielder, who cost the Magpies a club-record £55m when he joined from AC Milan in the summer of 2023.
Newcastle do not have a pressing financial need to sell any of their leading players this summer, and Eddie Howe has repeatedly stressed the importance of retaining the club’s star performers.
Tonali has now also outlined his willingness to remain a Newcastle player this summer, highlighting the loyalty he feels for his current employers, who stood by him as he served a ten-month ban for gambling offences that was imposed shortly after moved to England.
“I’m happy where I am now,” said Tonali, who was speaking while on international duty with Italy ahead of tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier against Norway. “I’ve found people who care about me, and I care about them.
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“I don’t want to break any of the bonds I’ve built. I’ve had a lot of thoughts every day, but right now, I’m happy where I am.”
Tonali, who is contracted to Newcastle until the summer of 2028, readily admits he occasionally misses living and working in Italy. However, his involvement with the national team means he retains a strong link to his homeland.
“Sometimes, when I am away from Italy for a long time or during long breaks, I do miss coming home a bit,” said the midfielder. “But I always come back with the national team and I always give my best.
“There’s a group here that wants to be together and needs to be here, united. There’s a desire to face these ten days as a real team, staying close and trying not to make things harder for ourselves. That’s often where the teams struggle, and we’re trying to keep things simple.”
This week’s international double-header against Norway and Moldova finally marks the end of Tonali’s season. Like the rest of his Newcastle team-mates, the highlight of the 25-year-old’s season came in March when the Magpies lifted the Carabao Cup at Wembley, ending a 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy.
“It was beautiful because it was hard,” said Tonali. “We weren’t the favourites, and we never really have been. We beat Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. We weren’t the favourites in almost every match, but it was special also because when an unexpected team wins, all eyes turn to them. It was amazing to do it with a team that hadn’t done it in 70 years, with incredible fans.”