Sandro Tonali has taken some time to adjust to life in England following his move to Newcastle United from AC Milan in 2023.
The central midfielder became the most expensive Italian player of all time after he agreed to join up at the PIF-run club, in a deal worth €70 million.
After a promising start, in October 2023, he was banned from playing football for 10 months for breaching Italian betting regulations. But this season has marked Tonali’s return, and he has been irreplaceable for the Magpies in the centre of the park.
As such, reports from Italy have emerged suggesting that Juventus want him back playing in Serie A, only playing for them instead of Milan.
TuttoSport, though, have reported that the Old Lady faces a major obstacle if they were to bring Tonali to Turin.
Despite the 24-year-old being on the list of Juventus technical director Cristiano Giuntoli, the club gaining entry to the Champions League is thought to be tantamount.
The outlet states that the “AC Milan player would welcome a return to his homeland provided that his arrival in Turin does not entail a downgrade in his ambitions”, alluding to the Champions League.
It’s thought that any club would need to pay between €65m and €70m for Newcastle to accept.
Juventus have some money available – more so should they earn fourth place and qualify – but even if they don’t make the grade, the Bianconeri club could still see a substantial fee for the Club World Cup that’s set to make its debut this summer.
But it appears that Tonali has his heart set on playing at the top level, so even if the Italian giants can afford him, they may face the problem of convincing the player to sign and play in the Europa League instead.