Newcastle United may be about to inflict pain on AC Milan for the second summer in a row as the hunt for Sandro Tonali hots up. The Italian midfielder, 23, emerged as a top target for the Magpies on Tuesday as they test the waters over a significant transfer this summer.
Newcastle beat AC Milan to Sven Botman 12 months ago after a lengthy chase saw the Italian side miss out due to budgetary concerns and behind the scenes disagreements following the RedBird Capital Partners takeover. Eddie Howe and Dan Ashworth swooped in for the Lille man, who proved to be one of the signings of the season following a stellar first year in England's top flight.
Milan's issues have not subsided completely and technical director Paolo Maldini and sporting director Frederic Massara were both sacked in recent weeks by the club's owners. Maldini, one of the club's best ever players, openly disagreed with the direction of RedBird Capital recently as he called for further investment during a recent interview with CBS Sports.
READ MORE: Newcastle show they mean business with incredible £150m display of ambition via Tonali and Barella
“Although we are playing in a Champions League semi-final, we are not yet at the level of the best clubs," he said. "We have to make investments now, to reach that level and not risk taking steps backwards."
Maldini played a huge role in ensuring Theo Hernandez, Fikayo Tomori, and Pierre Kalulu, Ismael Bennacer and Rafael Leao all penned new deals, along with Tonali. Speculation in Italy suggests key San Siro dressing room figures are unhappy with the director's sudden departure.
Newcastle can capitalise on the Serie A turmoil by attempting to poach AC Milan's best and brightest midfield option. Howe's side can offer Tonali Champions League football, a crack at the greatest league in the world, the chance to get in at a very early stage of a very promising and exciting journey and a bulkier pay packet.
Newcastle may double the midfielder's wages should he arrive at St James' Park, with his representatives currently in the UK to discuss a deal. Tonali, meanwhile, is away on international duty with Italy for the Under-21 European Championship which gets under way this week.
