Newcastle United 'cool' interest in £48m Tonali replacement as former Arsenal director makes Arteta claim

Newcastle United are believed to be considering their options ahead of the January transfer window - and top of their agenda could be a replacement for Sandro Tonali.

The Italy international will not feature for the Magpies until next season after he was hit with a lengthy ban after breaching gambling regulations during his time with former club AC Milan. The likes of Manchester City star Kalvin Phillips and former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves have both been linked with moves to St James Park as United formulate their plans for the new year.

Netherlands international Teun Koopmeiners is said to another midfielder on the Magpies radar - but a recent report in Italy have suggested interest in the Atalanta star has 'cooled' in recent days after the Serie A club put a high valuation on the 25-year-old.

A price tag of around £48m is said to have been placed on Koopmeiners head and that has forced Newcastle to 'postpone' their efforts to sign the midfielder until next summer, according to Italian outlet TuttoJuve, who also claim United's stance has opened up an opportunity for Inter and Juventus to make a move.

Former Arsenal director makes Arteta claim after St James Park controversy

David Dein believes Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta's angry reaction to his side's controversial defeat at Newcastle has harmed the North London club's image.

A hotly disputed goal from Magpies forward Anthony Gordon decided the physical contest between the two clubs as Eddie Howe's men survived three separate VAR checks on the winning goal.

The on and off-field match officials decided Joe Willock had kept a loose ball in play before crossing to find Joelinton, who was judge to have not fouled Gunners defender Gabriel. The final check ruled Gordon to be onside before he tapped into the Gallowgate net to secure what would be a hard-earned three points for the Magpies.

Arteta brandished the officiating as 'a disgrace' and 'an embarrassment' in a heated post-match press conference - and former Arsenal vice-chairman Dein has insisted the Spaniard's reaction was 'a little bit unnecessary'.

He told TALKsport: “The manager in the heat of the moment, that’s what he believed in.

“I was at Newcastle that game, he felt aggrieved that he felt the decisions go against him. In the final analysis, I think it was a bit of misdirection. Because the fact is, there was 101 minutes, three minutes added on in the first half and eight minutes in the second.

"In 101 minutes of football we only had one shot at goal, so you can’t really say that the team deserved to win. It is what it is. There is a process in place for how they deal with these things and I just think it was a little bit unnecessary.

“I don’t think it did the image of the club any good.”