Tonali was the subject of fevered speculation on deadline day, with one of his representatives having reportedly made contact with senior officials at Arsenal to discuss a potential move.
The Newcastle hierarchy insist Tonali was never for sale, and the midfielder’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, described the Arsenal links as ‘nonsense’.
However, with Juventus having been heavily linked with a summer move for Tonali in the Italian press, and with Chelsea also having been touted as a possible summer destination for the midfielder, Riso has fuelled the ongoing transfer talk by hinting at a potential departure at the end of the season.
Speaking in an interview with Tuttosport, Riso said: “Newcastle are having a hard time letting go of Sandro, and he wants to lead the club to the Champions League.
“The 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. What we’re saying today won’t apply tomorrow.
“Newcastle couldn’t let him go now, and there’s no point in moving, especially since Sandro is very attached to the club. We’ll evaluate and decide what to do in the summer.”
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Eddie Howe remains adamant that Tonali forms a key part of Newcastle’s long-term plans, with the Italian’s contract due to run to 2029, with the option of an additional year, after an extension was triggered while he was serving a suspension for breaching gambling rules.
Speaking after deadline day, Howe said: “No, certainly there was no intention from our side to lose Sandro at all.
“I think he’s such an integral player to what we're doing. I think he's very happy here. He loves playing for Newcastle and loves representing the city.
“Sandro’s absolutely fine. I had discussions with Sandro yesterday. He's absolutely focused on the here, the now, playing for us. There's absolutely no issue with Sandro himself, he's very happy and he's committed.
“I find it difficult to talk about things that I don't know too much about. I can only talk about Sandro as the person and the player and his sort of mindset here and now, having discussed things with him yesterday. He's absolutely fine.”