Sandro Tonali’s representatives are in London to discuss a deal that would see the midfielder join Newcastle United from AC Milan, according to reports in Italy.
The 23-year-old joined Milan from Brescia for around £13million in 2021.
He has been superb for the Serie A giants, helping them reach the Champions League semi-final in 2022/23.
It was reported on Tuesday evening that Newcastle made a bid in the region of €50m (£42.9m) for Tonali with Chelsea also keen.
And according to Sport Italia, Tonali’s representatives have ‘landed’ in London to discuss a deal with Newcastle.
While multiple reports claim the Magpies have bid €50m for Tonali, Sport Italia say the offer is between €60-65m.
The Italian international would receive a huge wage hike should the deal be finalised. He currently earns around €2.5m per year but could earn €6m plus bonuses if he agrees to pen a long-term contract at St James’ Park.
Meanwhile, Calciomercato say Milan have rejected Newcastle’s opening bid, believed to be €55-60m with bonuses included, and have asked for a whopping €80m (£68m).
The Italian outlet say Tonali does not want to move to the Premier League.
TalkSPORT reckon Newcastle are in ‘advanced negotiations’ with the Rossoneri, while Sky Sports’ Pete Graves has said the Premier League club are ‘very keen’ to get a deal done.
Eddie Howe has made Tonali and Leicester City playmaker James Maddison his top priorities in the summer transfer window, Graves adds.
A move for Tonali seems more likely at this stage, though it was reported last week that Newcastle were close to reaching an agreement with AC Milan’s city rivals.
The former Brescia midfielder is reportedly on Chelsea’s shortlist as Mauricio Pochettino looks to sign a new defensive midfielder.
Pochettino has a number of players in his sights and should be able to avoid Financial Fair Play implications with several first-team stars likely to depart before the end of the month.
Out of all the players guaranteed to leave, the most expensive departure will be Kai Havertz, who is set to join Arsenal for £it65m.
Kalidou Koulibaly, Hakim Ziyech and Edouard Mendy will all move to Saudi Arabia, while Mateo Kovacic is closing in on a £30m transfer to Manchester City.