‘There was talk’… Troy Deeney names the player who Newcastle United absolutely must not sell

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Newcastle United have no desire to sell any of their star players.

Alexander Isak is too expensive for his suitors, while talk of exits for the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon has gone relatively quiet compared to 12 months ago.

Meanwhile, Juventus hope to sign Sandro Tonali. However, the key word is hope.

Tonali wants to stay at Newcastle, despite relentless speculation in Italy that he could return to Serie A.

The 25-year-old is happy on Tyneside, as he continues to prove what a pivotal player he is at St James’ Park.

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That was the case on Sunday, as he gave Newcastle United the lead in their 2-0 win over Chelsea. Victory puts the Magpies on the brink of Champions League qualification, which will only strengthen their bid to keep their top stars.

Troy Deeney tells Newcastle United what to do with Sandro Tonali

That will be music to the ears of Troy Deeney, who has told BBC Sport that Newcastle United absolutely must not sell Tonali this summer.

Deeney has included the Italy international in his Premier League team of the week, hailing his ‘excellent’ performance against Chelsea.

“Tonali has been in this team three or four times already this season,” he said.

“He is an excellent, excellent footballer.

“There was talk about him being sold earlier on in the season. I can’t see how they can sell him, I really can’t.”

Sandro Tonali makes history with Newcastle United goal

The noise inside St James’ Park when Tonali scored in the second minute was deafening.

It was a clever finish from the midfielder, who now has six goals in all competitions this season.

That is actually a record for Tonali. This is the best scoring season of his career, eclipsing the five goals he scored for AC Milan during the 2021/22 campaign.

Most of Tonali’s excellent work is done off the ball. However, he has provided some pivotal moments in the final third this season, both in the Premier League and the Carabao Cup.

His contributions are now on the brink of propelling Newcastle back into the Champions League.