Sandro Tonali's agent breaks silence on Newcastle star's future amid talk of interest from Arsenal and Juventus

The final day of the January transfer window brought speculation that Tonali's agent had offered the midfielder to Arsenal. The Gunners are hunting for a replacement for Spain star Mikel Merino after seeing the midfielder sidelined with a fractured foot. Manager Mikel Arteta has admitted the club were hoping to add another player before the window closes and were looking for solutions. However, it was subsequently reported that Newcastle had no interest whatsoever in allowing the Italy international to leave St James's Park.

Tonali's agent has now been quizzed on the transfer speculation regarding the midfielder. Riso admits Newcastle were not willing to sanction a winter exit for Tonali but refused to rule out a future move away. He told Sky Sport Italia: “I read it, but Newcastle won’t let Sandro leave in January, and we never talked to Arsenal about this. We will evaluate in March whether Newcastle are open to anything, but right now he is playing in the Champions League, it is not the right moment to talk about it.”

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Tonali has already admitted this season he's "not closing the door" on a possible return to Serie A amid speculation Juventus are interested in bringing him back to Italy. The midfielder moved to Newcastle from AC Milan in July 2023 and he has gone on to become a key player for Eddie Howe's side. Newcastle kept faith with Tonali after he was hit with a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules, handing him an extended contract, which means he is now tied to the club until 2029. Newcastle also have the option to trigger an additional 12-month extension to 2030.

Yet the Magpies may face a battle to keep hold of Tonali this summer. According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea are all keen on signing the 25-year-old. Tonali's agent's comments suggest that Tonali could potentially be lured away from St James's Park if Newcastle fail to qualify for next season's Champions League. Howe's side currently sit in 10th place in the table.

Tonali and Newcastle are currently preparing for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester City as they seek to defend the title they won at Wembley last season. The Cityzens are 2-0 up from the first leg at St James' but have struggled for form since then and threw away a two-goal lead against Spurs to draw 2-2 last time out in the Premier League. The winners of the tie go on to play either Arsenal or Chelsea in the final.