Tonali: Juventus’ plan and Newcastle’s fear ahead of 2026 summer transfer window

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – OCTOBER 01: Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between R. Union Saint-Gilloise and Newcastle United FC at RSC Anderlecht Stadium on October 01, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Omar Havana/Getty Images)

La Gazzetta dello Sport insists that Sandro Tonali remains Juventus’ priority target for next summer, while Newcastle fear they’ll have to sell one of their top players if they miss out on Champions League qualification.

Juventus remain strongly interested in Newcastle and Italy star Tonali and have made him their top transfer target for 2026-27.

Latest on Tonali’s Newcastle future and Juventus’ interest

According to Gazzetta, Juventus’ chances to sign Tonali in the summer will drastically increase if Newcastle fail to qualify for the Champions League.

Being left without Champions League revenue, in fact, would force the Magpies to sell one of their stars to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.

According to the report, Juventus will probably have the financial resources to sign Tonali next summer, but they must also qualify for the Champions League and sell some of the players who have failed to match their expectations in Turin, starting with Lois Openda.

Tonali’s agent has denied having offered the Italian to Arsenal on deadline day, but added that he’d sit down with Newcastle executives around March to plan the future.

According to Gazzetta, Newcastle’s ‘biggest fear’ is a repeat of last summer’s saga with Alexander Isak, when the Sweden international pushed to join Liverpool for the entire transfer window, eventually completing a €144m transfer on deadline day.

At the same time, however, it is unlikely that Tonali will force his Newcastle exit at the end of the season as he feels a ‘moral debt’ for the support he received from the club and its fans during his betting ban.

Newcastle coach Eddie Howe spoke about the midfielder’s future on Wednesday: “Sandro’s very happy here. He’s got a great relationship with me and his teammates and he seems really, really, happy within himself,” he said.

“I don’t see an issue, but I’m not in control of everything. If I knew where everything [rumours] came from, I’d be wiser. But Sandro is absolutely fine. I had discussions with him yesterday. His focus is on the here and now with us.”