Manchester United have reportedly made contact to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali, as per a recent Spanish report.
After struggling with goal-scoring problems last term, the Red Devils decided to revamp the frontline by purchasing Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko last summer.
Cunha and Mbeumo joined from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brentford, respectively. So, they didn’t take long to settle at Old Trafford, but Sesko initially took time to adapt to English football’s physicality before showing his best this year, scoring seven goals in the last nine appearances across all competitions.
United are currently the third-highest scoring team in the Premier League and are sitting third in the table with 51 points from 28 matches.
Now, as per a recent Spanish report (via Fichajes), with Casemiro set to leave as a free agent in the summer, Man Utd are prioritising signing a new midfielder to replace the Brazilian and are aiming for Premier League-proven players.
They have identified Bruno Guimaraes, Elliot Anderson, and Tonali as primary targets and have also earmarked João Gomes and Adam Wharton as serious options.
United are prepared to splash around £175m in the summer window and have already held talks with Tonali and Guimaraes’ representatives over a potential swoop. Casemiro has even recommended Man Utd to sign his compatriot.
Tonali to Man Utd
However, Newcastle have no intention of parting ways with their key players, even if they fail to secure European football next season. They would only change their stance should they receive very high transfer fees.
Tonali, valued at around £65m by Transfermarkt, is set to enter the final two years of his current contract this summer. He is a defensive midfielder by trait but is also comfortable in the box-to-box role.
The Italian is extremely quick, technically sound, can play threading passes between the lines, has an eye for scoring goals from distance, is efficient in taking set-pieces, and is excellent in defensive contributions.
The 25-year-old is currently at the prime stage of his career and could be an ideal option to replace Casemiro should Man Utd purchase him. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the Old Trafford club eventually manage to secure his service in the upcoming summer transfer window.
