Newcastle United have signed midfielder, Sandro Tonali from AC Milan for an undisclosed transfer fee.
It is thought that Newcastle will pay around a £60m transfer fee up front plus a further £4m in add-ons once various clauses are met, whilst AC Milan will have a sell-on clause within the deal meaning that they will earn a percentage of any further transfer if Newcastle sell Tonali in the future.
Speaking about his move to Newcastle, Tonali commented: “First of all, I want to thank Newcastle United because they are giving me a huge opportunity for my career.
“I want to repay the trust on the pitch, giving it my all, as I always have. I’m really excited about playing at St. James’ Park, I can’t wait to feel the warmth of the fans.”
Manager, Eddie Howe is “delighted” to sign Tonali who he described as “an exceptional talent” with “the mentality, physicality and technical attributes to be a great fit for us.”
Newcastle will be playing in UEFA Champions League next season and Howe believes that Tonali can add needed experience, as he added: “At 23, Sandro already has important experience as a key player in one of Europe’s top leagues and in the Champions League, as well as playing for his country.
“But he also has the opportunity and potential to grow and evolve with us, and I’m excited to add him to our squad as we approach the exciting season ahead.”
Tonali has signed a six-year contract until June 2029 which will see him play outside of his native home country, Italy, where he began his senior career with Brescia after he graduated through their academy to eventually score six goals in 89 appearances.
The 23 year-old went on to join AC Milan initially on a season-long loan in September 2020 before he made a permanent transfer the following summer, which culminated in him helping I Rossoneri clinch the 2021-22 Serie A title.
Last season saw Tonali help AC Milan reach the UEFA Champions League semi-finals for the first time since winning the competition in 2006-07 season, although they lost to eventual runners-up, Inter Milan 3-0 on aggregate.
Tonali represents Italy in international football at senior level since 2019 but has failed to score in 14 senior appearances for Gli Azzurri, and was recently part of Italy’s Under-21s squad at 2023 UEFA Under-21s Euros where Italy crashed out in the Group Stage on head-to-head goals scored tiebreak.
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