Newcastle United's midfield on the opening day of the season could include internationals from Brazil and Italy. That is a statement worth repeating. It was only two years ago that Ryan Fraser was being retrained as a number eight.
Now, however, Newcastle are closing in on the signing of AC Milan star Sandro Tonali in a move that feels like a statement - beyond the mere numbers involved. Tonali, after all, is a boyhood AC Milan fan, a man who took a pay cut to achieve his dream move to the San Siro, a leader who was earmarked as a future captain of the club.
This was a player who only signed a new long-term contract with AC Milan less than a year ago yet Newcastle have managed not only to convince the Serie A giants to let him go but, most impressively, persuaded Tonali to leave. Yes, Tonali stands to earn a sizable wage increase as a result, but that is not the only factor at play here. If it was just about the money, Tonali would follow the lead of another international midfielder, Ruben Neves, and head to Saudi Arabia. Few know that better than Nikolas Spalek, a former team-mate of Tonali's at Brescia.
