Within the space of the last 24 hours, Sandro Tonali has gone from being a mainstay in the Milan midfield, to a rumoured Premier League target and is now reportedly just a few steps away from joining Eddie Howe’s Newcastle in a story that would have seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago. Here’s how it’s all unfolded so far …
Last week, reports from the Telegraph claimed that Saudi-owned Newcastle had launched an audacious attempt to lure Inter’s Nicolo Barella away from San Siro for a fee believed to be in the region of €58m (£50m).
Laughed away by many in Italy, the initial fee was never going to be anywhere near enough to convince the Nerazzurri to let go of their star midfielder.
Then, late on Tuesday night, reports came in from SportItalia that Newcastle had instead turned their attentions to a different Azzurri midfielder from San Siro, this time from the Rossoneri camp.
Tonali was the man in question, and in the hours since then, things have escalated dramatically. The initial offer from the Magpies was reported to be in the region of €60m, which, by Wednesday morning, had been rejected by Milan.
The decision makers at the club had decided, as reported by various sources, that they would not let Tonali go unless a more suitable offer came in, hoping for a fee closer to €80m.
Meanwhile, Tonali’s agent, Giuseppe Riso, has had a hectic 24 hours himself, with a move for one of his other clients, Sassuolo’s Davide Frattesi, also moving forwards considerably this week.
Riso has been in Italy while representatives from Juventus and Sassuolo conducted a meeting on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the options surrounding Frattesi’s future. When spotted and then questioned by reporters, he was unwilling to comment on the situation surrounding Tonali.
Other members of Tonali’s entourage on the other hand, were in England on Wednesday, whilst the man himself is away with the Italy Under-21 squad, expecting to wear the captain’s armband as the Azzurrini prepare for the upcoming European Championships.
Then, on Wednesday afternoon, news broke that Newcastle had significantly increased their offer to Milan, now thought to be in the region of €70m plus additional bonuses.
Just shy of Milan’s original valuation, the Rossoneri are still thought to be holding out for their desired €80m fee, which would make Tonali the most expensive sale in the club’s history.
Into the evening on Wednesday, and reports came in, initially from Gianluca Di Marzio, that Tonali had agreed a deal in principle on a lucrative set of personal terms, which could see him earn up to €8m per season on Tyneside.
Now that Tonali has given his personal approval to the move, Newcastle are now awaiting the official go-ahead from Milan before completing the purchase.