Manchester United have reportedly accelerated their efforts to sign Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali in recent days, as per the Daily Mail.
After revamping the attacking department last summer, it has been widely documented that the Red Devils are prioritising overhauling the engine room this summer.
Casemiro is set to leave for free at the end of this season, while Manuel Ugarte has been linked with a move away, having struggled to find his feet in the Premier League since joining from PSG a couple of years ago.
Michael Carrick’s side are said to be looking at Premier League-proven names, with Elliot Anderson of Nottingham Forest supposedly the primary target.
Now, the Daily Mail report that alongside Anderson, Man Utd are also interested in Adam Wharton, but the Forest star is expected to move to Manchester City.
So, Man Utd have now earmarked Tonali as a serious option to strengthen the engine room and have already accelerated their efforts to seal the deal in recent days.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, and Man City are also interested in the Italian, but Man Utd are ‘moving to the front of the queue’ over the last 48 hours. They are even preparing to open negotiations with Newcastle at the end of this season.
Tonali to Man Utd
The report state that although Tonali hasn’t started pushing to leave yet, Newcastle don’t want to face another Alexander Isak-type situation. So, they would be open to cashing-in on the midfielder if he asks to join the Old Trafford club.
Tonali still has three years left in his current contract, while the Magpies have an option to extend the deal for a further year. So, they are in a strong position to demand a huge fee for him and have accepted the fact that they need to raise funds by selling stars to continue the rebuild.
Tonali, valued at around £69m by Transfermarkt, is a defensive midfielder by trait but is also efficient in the box-to-box role. He is extremely quick, strong, can play threading passes between the lines, and is also efficient in defensive contributions.
He is a Premier League-proven player and would be a great coup for Man Utd should they eventually manage to secure his services.
