Newcastle United plan to sign a new midfielder in the January transfer window to replace Sandro Tonali after his suspension, according to Fabrizio Romano via the Daily Briefing.
The Italy international is now set to miss ten months of football after his involvement in the recent betting scandal that has also affected other Italian footballers, meaning he’ll be out of Euro 2024 with the Azzuri.
It’s also a major blow for Newcastle, who will have felt great excitement when they signed Tonali from AC Milan in the summer, but the Magpies will now need to take to the market again to fill that void.
It remains to be seen who they could target for that role, but Romano has suggested that they’ve already decided that they will seek to bring someone in to make up for Tonali’s absence, so this looks like it’ll be an intriguing saga to follow this winter.
Discussing the Tonali situation, Romano said: “We start today’s column with important news on Sandro Tonali – it has been confirmed that the Newcastle and Italian national team midfielder will be banned and suspended for ten months.
“The decision has been made – we’re just waiting now for the final formal steps, but Tonali’s season is over. He can’t play football for the next ten months, so he will not be at the Euros with Italy in what is undoubtedly a big personal blow for him.
“It is also a big blow for Newcastle, who will now look for a new midfielder in the January transfer window.”
More must-reads: