Newcastle United suffer £42m transfer setback as Dan Ashworth targets second summer signing

On Tuesday evening The Athletic reports that Newcastle had made a £42million bid for the 23-year-old defensive midfielder. The Magpies have targeted Tonali and his Italy international team-mate Nicolo Barella from Inter Milan as Eddie Howe looks to bolster his midfield options this summer.

But reports from Calciomercato claim Milan have rejected Newcastle’s initial bid for Tonali, who is currently away with Italy Under-21s for the Under-21s European Championship in Romania and Georgia. Players aged 21 or under at the start of 2021, when the qualification process began, are eligible to feature in the tournament, hence Tonali’s involvement as captain despite being a 14-time senior international at 23.

The tournament runs until July 8, potentially scuppering any potential deal for Newcastle.

The AC Milan defensive-midfielder has scored seven goals in 130 appearances for the club and signed a new contract last year which runs until the summer of 2027.

Newcastle are also looking to push forward with a deal for Leicester City attacking-midfielder James Maddison. The 26-year-old is currently on a post-season break in Ibiza following international duty with England.

The Magpies have made just one signing since the transfer window opened earlier this month with 18-year-old winger Yankuba Minteh joining from Danish side Odense Boldklub for a reported £7million. He will be loaned out to Dutch champions Feyenoord for the 2023-24 season.