'We want' - Newcastle United pushing to seal agreement with £67m duo after Sandro Tonali surprise
Newcastle United have opened contract talks with the pair.
Newcastle United sporting director Ross Wilson has opened contract talks with Tino Livramento and Sven Botman.
Wilson started work at Newcastle on October 11, and one of his first tasks was to assess each player’s contractual status.
The former Nottingham Forest chief football officer found Sandro Tonali’s contract situation to be “significantly better” than expected after it was revealed the Italian had extended his contract during his 10-month betting ban.
As a show of appreciation to the club for their unwavering support, Tonali secretly penned a new deal until 2029 with the option of an additional year, effectively tying him down until 2030.
Having established himself as one of the Premier League’s leading midfielders, Tonali is admired by several top clubs and should one of those decide to test United’s resolve, at least they know they are in a strong financial position.
Newcastle United open contract talks with Tino Livramento and Sven Botman
With Tonali’s future secure, Wilson has swiftly prioritised conversations with Livramento and Botman.
Botman, 25, has just 18 months remaining on the contract he signed when he joined from Lille for £35million in July 2022. Meanwhile, Livramento’s current deal runs until 2028, the same year Tonali’s previous deal was due to expire.
Wilson said: “My first three or four days in the job was when I found that Sandro’s contract situation was significantly better than the one I was expecting.
“My first days were about analysing contracts – where are we, where are we strong, where are we weak, where have we got issues?
“It’s no secret at all that we would want to extend Tino’s contract and we would want to extend Sven Botman’s contract too. Those discussions are ongoing.
“Some discussions are more difficult than others, but the desire would be to keep those players. Will they agree those contracts? At the moment, I think it’s too early to say.”
Tino Livramento attracting interest from Manchester City
Between Botman and Livramento, it is the latter whose stock is currently the highest as Manchester City continue to be linked with a move.
The 23-year-old, who joined from Southampton for an initial £32m in August 2023, has become an integral part of Eddie Howe’s team and been called up for England.
Livramento was asked about his future last month but insisted his only focus is getting back to his best levels after recently missing six weeks of action due to a knee injury.
The former Chelsea academy graduate said: “That's nothing that I'm in control of. I leave that to my dad, to my agent. For me, I've been out for seven weeks. I've been working really hard to come back and obviously help the team.
“I'm very happy with how I've played (against Man City). That's my focus, staying where I'm at now. That's always been my focus. Helping the team as much as I can.”
Livramento also paid tribute to the Toon faithful when asked if he is happy at St James’ Park. He responded: “Of course, have you not seen it out there?”