The transfer window in Italy opened with a bang last night in Serie A as guests assembled at the Grand Hotel in Rimini to mark the occasion.
Some of the biggest names in Italian football were there to discuss deals and talk to the media with plenty of trading possible between the Premier League and Serie A in the coming weeks and months. And Newcastle United's name would have been high on the list of mentions given their start to the summer window.
The Sandro Tonali deal was discussed in front of broadcast journalists as his agent Guiseppe Riso spoke through the ins and outs of his transfer to St James' Park. But Riso was wanted by the media to talk about his long list of other clients too.
One Italian journalist described Newcastle as 'big stuff' in Italy this summer due to the number of European stars being offered to the Saudi-backed Magpies. The Tonali deal has dominated the headlines in a country obsessed with football but with fans knowing, the money now lies on English shores.
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That wasn't always the case as England internationals including our very own Paul Gascoigne headed to Serie with Lazio and was joined by the likes of Des Walker, David Platt and Paul Ince. But the power has now swung to English football and Newcastle United's name appears on famous Italian papers like La Gazzetta dello Sport on a frequent basis.
English fans of a certain generation have Italian football hardwired in their brain after live top-flight football - remarkably - was switched off from terrestrial television in 1992 and replaced by Serie A on Channel 4.
The sight of presenter James Richardson chatting about what had made the headlines in Italy was commonplace. In 1996, Newcastle were at the centre of one of the biggest transfers between Serie A and the Premier League when they signed Tino Asprilla from Parma.
Famous shots of Tino in a fur coat being whisked across the St James' Park car park through the snow to complete his move to Tyneside are still fondly remembered. Can Newcastle add to Tonali this summer?
Well, they have already been linked with stars like AC Milan's Theo Hernández and Juventus winger Federico Chiesa and his team-mate Dusan Vlahovic. A long summer lies ahead of course, but the Serie A market is definitely one to keep an eye on.
