What Newcastle United have said about signing Sandro Tonali replacement as ban ‘agreed’

Eddie Howe has refused to be drawn on whether Newcastle United will look to sign a replacement for Sandro Tonali during the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old is subject to investigation by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in relation to illegal betting activity.

As per the Daily Mail, Tonali’s lawyers are set to agree on a 10-month ban, which will rule him out until August next year, although the midfielder will be able to train as normal.

But with official confirmation yet to arrive, Magpies’ head coach Howe has refused to entertain a question asking about potential replacements.

Speaking ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash against Borussia Dortmund, which Tonali will be available for, Howe said: “It’s a bit too early for that to be honest.

“I know there are a lot of rumours going around but until we hear for definite, January and all that will entail, we will have time to prepare a strategy for that moment but it’s not yet.”

Tonali has made 11 appearances for Newcastle since joining from AC Milan in a deal worth £52million plus adds-on in the summer.

In the same press conference as Howe on Tuesday, Tonali’s teammate Sean Longstaff was also questioned and he believes United have the squad depth to cope without him - citing Joe Willock’s return.

“I’m confident we can cope,” said Longstaff. We don’t know the outcome yet, but we’ve got Joe Willock coming back from injury, Joelinton fit again and Elliot Anderson has stepped up massively. And then we’ve got the little superstar Lewis Miley coming through, who I absolutely love.

“The big one is Willock coming back. I could talk all day about how good he is and even watching him in training this week, it doesn’t look like he’s missed a minute. I’m just really excited to have him back.

“We know how important he is - the team plays its best when he is in it. No one can do what he does in terms of the way he moves off the ball and how confident he is on it. Hopefully he can show what he can do on this stage as well.”