Newcastle could try to sign 26-year-old after getting Tonali – Sky journalist

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Newcastle United’s deal to sign Sandro Tonali from AC Milan is not going to impact their interest in Leicester City star James Maddison.

That is the view of Sky Sports journalist and Toon fan Pete Graves, who has wrote about what Newcastle will do next in the transfer market.

Eddie Howe’s side look braced to announce the arrival of Tonali, who will sign a six-year deal with the club.

It is a marquee move, but Newcastle are not done there. They still need attacking reinforcements, and that is why Graves does not think the Tonali transfer will hinder Howe’s attempts to bring Maddison to St James’ Park.

Graves won’t rule out Maddison to Newcastle

Sky Sports News presenter Graves has wrote about Newcastle’s transfer plans on Sky Sports’ official website, and explained why he does not believe there is any truth in claims that Tonali’s arrival will end the Magpies’ interest in Maddison.

“We can’t rule out James Maddison coming to Newcastle yet,” he wrote.

“This idea that signing Sandro Tonali ends the pursuit of Maddison, I don’t think that’s true. They headed into this window outlining that they wanted a more defensive midfielder as well as a more attacking one.

“I know the club would definitely still like to add an attacking midfielder and Maddison is an option. But they’re realistic. They’ve got a fee in mind and they’re not going to go beyond that. What Leicester need is a bidding war between two clubs.

“They would love Tottenham and Newcastle to go head-to-head but I don’t think Newcastle are interested in getting embroiled in that. They’ve got an idea of a fee in mind – probably around £40m – and won’t want to go much beyond that.”

All depends on the price tag

As Graves alludes to, it will all depend on the price tag when it comes to Newcastle’s interest in Maddison. Leicester obviously want as much money as they can get, and will have been ecstatic when Tottenham stated their intent in challenging Newcastle for the 26-year-old’s signature.

But Dan Ashworth is not going to get embroiled in a bidding war, and will instead look for value in the transfer market – which is easier said than done.

The arrival of Tonali is a big one, but it will not be the end of Newcastle’s midfield recruitment drive. We still need a player like Maddison – someone who can operate either centrally or out wide and create chances, carving open stubborn defences at will.

It looks like it is a toss up between Maddison and Szoboszlai. The latter feels like the favourite among fans right now, but a deal for Maddison would not be sniffed at.

While talk of him arriving at St James’ Park has gone slightly stale, Graves is refusing to rule out the possibility of Maddison wearing black and white next season.