Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonaliplaceholder image
Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali | Getty Images
The transfer rumour mill is already beginning to churn ahead of the summer window and Newcastle United feature heavily.
Newcastle United are reportedly interested in Lyon midfielder Tyler Morton as a potential Sandro Tonali replacement.
A former Liverpool academy product, the 23-year-old left last summer to pursue first-team football. Morton has since established himself as a rising star in France, with 29 appearances across all competitions.
Lyon are currently on a 12-game winning streak - propelling to third in the table to mount an outside title charge. They also topped the Europa League group stage and are third favourites with bookmakers to win the competition outright.
Newcastle United transfer interest
French outlet Jeunes Footeux have named Newcastle as one Premier League club thought to be keeping tabs on the midfielder. Lyon paid around £10million to sign Morton last year, with Liverpool holding a 20 per cent sell-on clause.
The piece links Tonali to the saga, suggesting Morton could be being lined up as a potential successor. It is no secret that the Italian’s representatives are angling for crunch talks over his future.
Tonali’s agent, Beppe Riso, went public a fortnight ago to claim he will sit down with Toon chiefs in the coming months. Contradictory reports on deadline day emerged on whether Arsenal were interested in a surprise bid.
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"Newcastle are having a hard time letting go of Sandro and he wants to lead the club to the Champions League,” Riso told TuttoSport. “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. 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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‘I disagreed’ - Tyler Morton’s strong words on Arne Slot
Speaking about his Liverpool exit, Morton bullishly insisted he was ready to make the step up at Anfield. He said: “With Arne Slot, I didn’t play as much as I wanted, even though I was ready. It was his decision, and I took it calmly, but I had to find another path.
“I think he thought I was a good player, but I don’t feel the trust was there as much. In my opinion, the limited opportunities were down to trust and not ability. When I got my opportunity in the cup, I felt like I played well.
“That’s all I could say. I stuck at it, stayed focused, got through to the end of the season and played in the under-21 Euros, which was amazing. I had a few conversations with him (Slot) during the season.
“A lot of footballers can be bitter about not playing and let their egos get in the way, but I’m not that type of lad. I personally disagreed with the limited amount of game time I got last season, but that was out of my control. I did everything I could.”
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