Romano: Newcastle plan Romania trip to finalise first signing of the summer

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Everything is almost in place for Sandro Tonali to become a Newcastle United player.

Talks have accelerated, and it looks like nothing can stop Newcastle from signing the midfielder they have been craving. Tonali is going to sign a six-year deal with the Magpies, where he will earn double what he was getting at AC Milan.

The Italian side are set to receive a huge fee too, with Newcastle agreeing a club record sum of £64.6million for the 23-year-old. That includes add-ons, with the initial price standing at around £60million.

It is a huge statement of intent from the Toon owners, who are backing Eddie Howe in a big way. He will be delighted, as he has been desperate for the club to sign a defensive midfielder so that Bruno Guimaraes can play in a more advanced role.

He is going to get that with Tonali, who now appears to be only a medical away from becoming a Toon player. And Newcastle officials have a plan to get that medical done as soon as possible.

Newcastle staff hatch plan to conduct Sandro Tonali medical

While most players are currently enjoying the summer break, Tonali’s season is not over. He is with the Italy Under-21s side, where he is set to captain his country at the Under-21 European Championship – a competition that Anthony Gordon is competing in.

The tournament is taking place in Romania, with Tonali and co set to kick off their campaign on Thursday night against France. Toon fans can watch the game on UEFA’s official website if they want to see the man who looks set to become Newcastle’s latest acquisition.

And it sounds like Tonali could soon be met by some Newcastle officials in Romania.

According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Toon staff are preparing to fly to Romania to arrange a medical with Tonali. Romano states that they are just waiting to receive the ‘green light’ to confirm that everything has been agreed and finalised.

This is similar to what Newcastle did when they signed Bruno Guimaraes in January 2022. At the time of the deal, the midfielder was on international duty with Brazil. That led to Toon officials flying out to South America to meet Bruno and conduct his medical.

While it might be a few weeks before we see Tonali officially be presented as a Toon player inside St James’ Park, conducting his medical in Romania at least gives the club the chance to finalise the deal and make it official.