Man Utd transfer boost as Arsenal drop interest in £100m star

Arsenal have reportedly cooled their interest in Sandro Tonali after being heavily linked with the Newcastle midfielder towards the end of the January transfer window.

A deadline-day report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein claimed Tonali had been offered to Arsenal by his agent following an injury to Mikel Merino, who is likely to miss the remainder of the season.

The Gunners were said to have ‘admired Tonali for a long time’ but Newcastle made it clear they had no intention of losing the 25-year-old unless an astronomical fee was paid.

And while Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta ‘explored’ the possibility of bringing Tonali to the Emirates, no direct talks took place between the two Premier League rivals and a deal was never considered realistic.

Mikel Arteta made no secret of the fact Arsenal were trying to ‘find solutions’ to bolster his squad for the second half of the campaign, but the Spaniard was ultimately left disappointed as the transfer deadline came and went.

According to Chronicle Live, Arsenal have since dropped any interest they had in Tonali after holding internal discussions to determine potential goals and ambitions for the summer.

Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus are keeping close tabs on the situation and remain keen on Tonali, but it would likely require an offer in excess of £100million to prise the Italy international away from St James’ Park.

The report claims Tonali’s name did not feature on Arsenal’s initial shortlist of targets, adding that the league leaders may have as little as £40m to spend on new recruits in order to comply with PSR restrictions.

The Gunners can now be ‘crossed off the list’ of possible destination for Tonali, with a move to the Emirates deemed ‘impossible’.

It comes after Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Christhian Norgaard and Kepa Arrizabalaga all joined Arsenal in a £250m spending spree last summer.

In recent days, it has been widely reported that Arsenal could be willing to part with a genuine first-time star such as Martin Odegaard or Gabriel Martinelli in order to help balance the books.

Amid the incessant speculation and gossip surrounding Tonali’s future, Eddie Howe has vehemently denied claims that the former AC Milan star could be feeling ‘unsettled’.

‘I don’t think so, but lots of things happen without my knowledge,’ the Newcastle head coach told reporters last month.

‘As far as I’m aware, we’ve got a player who is an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person. He’s very happy here. He’s got a great relationship with me, his team-mates and seems really happy within himself.

Howe added: ‘That would surprise me [if Tonali became unsettled], but our best players will always attract glances from other clubs – that’s just the reality of football.

‘We want to keep our group together, we want to be progressive and Sandro plays a part in that. All encompassed, I don’t see an issue but I don’t control everything.

‘There was certainly no intention from our side to lose Sandro at all. He’s such an integral player to what we’re doing.

‘He’s very happy here. He is absolutely fine. I had discussions with him and he is absolutely focused on playing for us.’

In a recent interview with Italian newspaper Tuttosport, Tonali’s agent Giuseppe Riso refused to rule out the possibility of a big-money move for his client in the summer.

‘Newcastle is having a hard time letting go of Sandro, and he wants to lead the club into the Champions League this season,’ Riso explained.

‘These transfer discussions will take place later.

‘We’ll see how the season ends and then decide what to do.’

Asked if a return to Serie A could be on the cards for Tonali, Riso replied: ‘There’s no preference right now.

‘It’s still early. What we’re saying today won’t apply tomorrow.

‘Newcastle couldn’t part with him now and it wasn’t worth moving, especially since Sandro is very attached to the club.

‘We’ll evaluate things in the summer and decide what to do.’

Tonali has made 103 appearances in all competitions across his three-year stay in Newcastle and helped the club end their long wait for silverware last term as Howe’s men went all the way in the Carabao Cup.

A ten-month ban – after Tonali was found to have breached Italian betting regulations – meant the central midfielder played just eight league games in his debut season with the Magpies.

Tonali’s current contract in the north east runs through to June 2028, with the option of a further 12 months.

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