Report suggests Chelsea are now eyeing £55m Newcastle United star for summer swoop
Chelsea treat footballers like Pokémon - Gotta Catch 'Em All - and they're pretty good at it, too, having beaten Newcastle United to several transfers in the last few years.
Just this summer, Chelsea picked off Liam Delap and Joao Pedro from under the noses of the Magpies, but now a new report from Football Insider has suggested that they're considering going directly to the source now.
We see plenty of stories linking Sandro Tonali with a return to Italy, as the Italian media are desperate to see their golden boy return home.
Constant links with Juventus persist through every transfer window, even though every story is caveated with the fact that the Italian side simply can't afford what it would take to land the Italy international.
Chelsea are keen on Sandro Tonali
Now, Football Insider are claiming their sources have told them that Chelsea are weighing up a summer move for Sandro Tonali to bolster their midfield options.
Normally, with stories that originate from Football Insider's 'sources', we just take them with the pinchiest of pinches of salt, but when it comes to Chelsea, they are so mental in the transfer market that you just don't know.
That being said, even Football Insider don't believe anything will come from this. Of course, there's every chance that Chelsea have mentioned Tonali in transfer discussions. We're sure many clubs have, he's an outstanding player and one that could fit into just about any top team in the World.
We don't see Sandro Tonali ditching Newcastle any time soon
Their report cites the fact that Tonali will still want to show loyalty to Newcastle after sticking by him during his 10-month ban, and while that credit will run out eventually, the fact that Tonali is settled and happy where he is will likely keep him on Tyneside beyond this season.
Newcastle signed the Italian for £55 million in 2023, and just 12 games into his tenure, he was hit with a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules. Newcastle stuck by him, got him the help he needed and, yes, stuck a cheeky extra year on his contract to make up for the season he missed.
The Magpies are hoping to extend his stay beyond his current deal and to reward Tonali with improved terms as a reflection of his importance to the team. That extra year that was stuck on his contract during his ban has knocked him down the priority list, but now with Chelsea's potential interest, that could force the club into action sooner. Fingers crossed. He may not be having the best of seasons, but form is temporary and all that.
