Italian media create absolutely baffling Sandro Tonali swap claim as Newcastle United midfielder again linked with return home

The Italian press are so desperate to see Sandro Tonali return home that they will come up with the most backwards-sounding stories to try and give Italians hope.

AC Milan's fanbase have hoped for the return of Sandro Tonali since it was revealed he was leaving in 2023, but lately, most reports have centred around Tonali moving to Juventus.

Despite the fact that Juventus simply couldn't afford to sign Tonali from Newcastle, rumours persist that The Old Lady will find a way.

The latest crazy suggestion comes from La Gazzetta dello Sport and it involves two Juventus players moving to Tyneside as part of the deal.

Getty Images

Italian media are genuinely insane

Douglas Luiz was a revelation at Aston Villa, and while he's not as good as Sandro Tonali, he would be offered up as part of the deal and could fill the gap left by Tonali.

The other player Juventus want to offer as part of the swap? Lloyd Kelly. The player is currently on loan at Juventus from *checks notes* Newcastle United.

Juventus have an obligation to turn Kelly's loan into a permanent move in the summer, but this report claims they want to send him right back as part of a swap for Sandro Tonali.

Juventus sporting director is getting hammered for the Lloyd Kelly deal

We don't know whether to laugh or be insulted to be quite honest.

Why would we want a player back that we sent to them because he couldn't get into our first team?

La Gazzetta dello Sport says that Juventus' sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli is feeling the pressure following Lloyd Kelly's signing and he believes he can just send him back to sender, it seems.

"The Lloyd Kelly signing has cost Giuntoli a fair amount of criticism and is the key. Giuntoli has opened a channel with Newcastle thanks to the English centre-back. A bridge that he will try to exploit for Tonali.

"There is no negotiation yet, but at Juventus they are aware that a significant investment will be necessary to sit at the table with the rich British club.

"At least 60-70 million. A mountain of money that Juventus hopes to mitigate by expanding the operation. The idea is to include a player in the deal and the main suspect remains Douglas Luiz."