SANDRO TONALI refused to rule out doing an Alexander Isak – but stressed he is happier than ever at Newcastle.
The 25-year-old, who joined in a £55m deal from AC Milan in 2023, produced a man of the match display to help beat Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League.
That came days after it emerged that during the ten-month betting ban he was almost instantly hit with after his arrival he had penned a 12-month extension at St. James’ Park.
Italian midfield magician Tonali is now tied to the club until 2029, with Toon also having an additional one-year extension option.
But with continued talk of a return to Serie A and just months after the £130m exit of Isak to Liverpool broke Geordie hearts, the new fan favourite’s reply to whether he sees his long-term future on Tyneside will have sent another shiver down the Toon Army’s spine.
Tonali said: “This is a tough question because, you know, (in) football you need to think year for year. I don’t want to say I want to stay here 10 years and in two years, three years, four years, five years I will go.
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“Every player here… I want to think, just for me, year for year. This is football. The last summer was tough for us, for Alex (Isak), but this is football. If you have an option for your life, for another team you need to think about everything.
“I don’t want to say ‘Yes, I want to stay here 10 years’ but now I’m happy here. I don’t think anything about another team.”
Tonali was also bemused that it took so long for the news of his extension to come out.
He said: “Yes, I’m happy about it. This extension was three years ago after the ban, and I think the… I don’t know why just last week everybody spoke about this. But I signed after the ban for another year after my problem.
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“And I’m happy, not just for one more year here, but I’m happy for the people, for the fans, for every player, every member of the staff here in Newcastle.
“When I had the ban, when I was out off the pitch, I signed my contract for one year because it was difficult staying off the pitch for my fault, for all my problem, and have all the money from this team.
“The club spoke to me, spoke with my agent, and signed for one more year.”
And pressed on why he signed it, Tonali stated it was because he had every faith he and the club could achieve big things together.
He added: “It’s not for the money, it’s not for one more year. It was because I have confidence in this team, and this team have confidence in me. So we worked together.
“If you don’t have any problem, you can sign any time for one year. So, this is important for me. I’m happy. But every day for me is the same here.
“Every day I work for the win every game, I work for every person in Newcastle, I work for my family, I work really for every person here.”
