Newcastle United is about to complete the acquisition of Sandro Tonali from AC Milan, while the Magpies are currently searching for another player from the Serie A powerhouse.
On Friday, Tonali is expected to finalize a transfer to the North East, giving Eddie Howe the star midfielder he has been lusting after. After that, Newcastle will have time to focus on other things as they prepare their team for the upcoming season.
The team wants to strengthen certain positions, and Theo Hernandez has become a fresh target at left-back.
The World Cup runner-up, who has spent the last three years playing alongside Tonali at AC Milan, was reportedly the subject of interest from Newcastle on Thursday night.
He would be yet another fantastic addition to Howe’s team, but according to the Gianluca Di Marzio report, Newcastle is aware that a deal for the 25-year-old will be challenging because Atletico Madrid is also interested in him. Hernandez had previously played for Atleti and earlier in his career spent ten years living in Madrid, Spain. He has also played for Real Madrid.
That familiarity could give Atletico the edge over Newcastle, while finances could also be an issue for the Magpies.
Theo Hernandez would set a club record price for Newcastle.
The Frenchman will cost this summer, according to Italian journalist Di Marzio, who spoke before he said Newcastle were interested in Hernandez.
He said that Hernandez may fetch as much as £68 million from AC Milan, making him the most expensive player to ever sign for Newcastle.
It’s hard to imagine Hernandez moving to Tyneside for that type of cash. Even if Newcastle’s owners are extremely wealthy, the club still needs to be aware of FFP and has a lot of other positions they want to strengthen this summer.
Spending that kind of sum on Hernandez would mean that the Magpies have forked out nearly £130million on just two players – with both coming from AC Milan.
Of course, it could be argued that Hernandez is worth pushing the boat out for. He is an elite footballer, who Stefano Piolo said is on course to become ‘the strongest left-back in the world‘. In that respect, why wouldn’t Newcastle go all out for him?
But if £30million was deemed too much for Kieran Tierney, it is hard to see Newcastle spending more than double on Hernandez.
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MILAN JOURNALIST GIVES BLEAK VIEW SANDRO TONALI MOVE TO NEWCASTLE
Sandro Tonali’s seemingly imminent move to Newcastle United is an eye-catching one in so many ways.
Not only does Eddie Howe land what is thought to be his main target at Newcastle this summer, it’s a record deal.
Indeed, Tonali will become the most expensive Italian player in history. Given the storied footballing history of that particular nation, that is saying something.
A key player with AC Milan, the sight of him ready to join Newcastle is a major statement of intent.
If this is how the summer transfer window is starting, it’s going to be very exciting.
But what of the reaction in Milan?
Milan journalist gives emotional reaction to Sandro Tonali news
It seems those in Italy will miss Tonali a great deal.
A boyhood fan of the club and seemingly a favourite amongst the supporters, one journalist based in the Italian city painted a fairly bleak picture of what the team will be like without Tonali.
Speaking to iNews, Carlo Pellegatti said: “Not all players are equal. Tonali isn’t like the others, he’s someone who has inherited Milanismo.
“Maybe another strong midfielder will be signed, but it won’t be the same.”
All the makings of a cult-hero at Newcastle then
Clearly, ‘Milanismo’ is not a thing that can be tangibly measured.
Still, to embody the passion of the supporters on the pitch does offer signs that Tonali can do the same at Newcastle, another club with vocal support.
That doesn’t guarantee success on the pitch of course but it is a promising sign. We don’t demand a team who wins just one that tries, after all.
With the deal said to be close, it’s time to get excited about Tonali’s arrival. A fan favourite at Milan it seems, there’s little reason to suggest he cannot do something similar on Tyneside.
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