Sandro Tonali’s future at Newcastle United is attracting serious interest from Arsenal and Manchester United, but the situation remains complicated by a combination of Newcastle’s sky-high asking price and the player’s own personal preference to return to Serie A rather than move to another Premier League club.
TEAMtalk confirmed that Mikel Arteta and sporting director Andrea Berta are “deadly serious” about signing the 26-year-old, with Arsenal having made their interest known to Newcastle formally in recent days, though a Newcastle journalist pushed back on Italian claims that talks were already at an advanced stage.
Chronicle’s chief Newcastle United writer Lee Ryder posted on X that sources at Arsenal had told him directly “they are not in talks” over Tonali as of May 25, creating a discrepancy between the Italian media’s account and the reality on the ground that both clubs are currently navigating.
Manchester United’s interest runs parallel but is described as cooler than at earlier points in the summer, with The Athletic reporting that “the temperature from Old Trafford has been cooler on Tonali in recent weeks,” even as Italian outlets claim the two clubs have reached agreement on personal terms.
Newcastle’s valuation is unambiguous. The club want at least £100 million for a player who has made over 100 appearances since joining from AC Milan for £55 million in 2023 and who has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most complete central midfielders.
Tonali’s agent has been conducting rounds with interested parties for weeks, a pattern that indicates the desire for a move is genuine even if the destination has not yet been agreed, with the player’s clear preference for a return to Italy adding a layer of complexity that pure financial comparisons between Premier League suitors cannot resolve.
AC Milan, Juventus, and Inter Milan are all reported to hold interest in bringing the midfielder back to Serie A, giving Tonali genuine optionality over his next move that reduces his dependence on a Premier League bidding war resolving itself in his favour.
That dynamic makes the Arsenal and Manchester United pursuit harder than it might otherwise appear. A player who is actively interested in going home to Italy is not simply waiting for the highest offer from English clubs, he is waiting for the right Italian club to match Newcastle’s valuation.
Newcastle’s asking price of £100 million is the central obstacle for everyone. Even the wealthiest Italian clubs are unlikely to match that figure, which means the most probable outcome is either a gradual softening of Newcastle’s position or a Premier League club finally tabling a bid that forces the issue.
The player’s World Cup participation with Italy this summer will add another dimension to the saga, placing him in front of the global audience at exactly the moment clubs across Europe are finalising their summer investment decisions, which historically tends to either accelerate or complicate transfer negotiations for players in similar positions.