Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, trophies or not, will be looking to strengthen their squad in the summer transfer window but reports are now suggesting they’ve been dealt a hammer blow in pursuit of one of their targets, who plays for fellow Premier League side Newcastle United.
Arteta could cement himself on the pantheon of great Arsenal managers – alongside George Graham and Arsene Wenger – come the end of the season.
Read More: Pep Guardiola makes stunning Arsenal admission ahead of Carabao Cup final
At present, his side are still fighting on all fronts and the prospect of a quadruple-winning campaign is far from done given they recently secured passage into the next round of the Champions League with a 2-0 win against Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal transfer latest: Newcastle ace open to Old Trafford switch
Irrespective of this season’s success, they’ll certainly be heading into the summer transfer market with key areas to address. Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez is reportedly among those being scouted by Arsenal while Castello Lukeba of RB Leipzig is another player on their radar.
Arsenal’s pursuit of Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali, however, has been dealt a major set back this morning.
For a while, it has been understood that Manchester United and Real Madrid have also been interested in the classy Italian – and a move to the former is reportedly enticing for the 25-year-old.
Journalist Christopher Michel has reported the Old Trafford side have been ‘seriously working’ on a move for Sandro Tonali and he is reportedly open to the idea of playing for the Red Devils.
“I’ve heard that MUFC are seriously working on a move for Sandro Tonali. And the Italian midfielder is quite open to a move to Manchester. The club have been keeping tabs on him for a long time. Would he be a good signing?” Michel wrote to his thousands of followers on X (formerly Twitter).
Recently, reports stated that Eddie Howe-led Newcastle had no intention of letting Tonali leave in the summer given how important he is to them in the middle of the park.
The Magpies invested heavily into his move from AC Milan in the summer of 2023 and would be reluctant to let him move onto pastures new, especially to a Premier League rival.
Why Manchester United could be ahead in Tonali race
While it may be difficult to hear for Arsenal fans, Tonali is simply better suited with a move to Old Trafford – especially with a Casemiro-shaped hole in the engine room.
If the 30-cap Italy international was to move elsewhere in England, more game time would be readily avaialble in Manchester compared to the north of London.
There’s a possibility that Arsenal still win the race for his signature given they are a far more attractive prospect for players at the current moment – but many dream of representing Manchester United.
| Statistic | Tonali | Rice | Zubimendi |
| Minutes | 2049 | 2585 | 2606 |
| Goals/Assists | 0/2 | 4/5 | 5/1 |
| Pass success rate (%) | 84.9 | 87.8 | 88.2 |
| Tackles per match | 1 | 1.9 | 1.7 |
| Dribbles per match | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 |
| Key passes per match | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.5 |
| Overall rating | 6.58 | 7.32 | 6.96 |
He’s a great fit for Arteta: he’s technical, versatile and plays with a very high intensity. Howe has publicly dismissed the idea of him leaving but a summer move looks inevitable for one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.
