Newcastle ready to sign £20m Premier League star

It’s a new dawn at Newcastle United, but old habits die hard, and Eddie Howe has been rocked by an early-summer hijack.

Newcastle will have a clearer schedule next season, consigned to domestic duties after finishing 12th in the Premier League last term.

It’s a far cry from the remarkable form of 2024/25, carrying the Magpies up into the Champions League. More still, Newcastle won the Carabao Cup, beating Liverpool at Wembley.

Howe has lost Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, and it does sadly feel like Sandro Tonali will wear different colours by the end of the transfer window.

How Newcastle plan to replace Sandro Tonali

Tonali, 26, has been described as “one of the best midfielders in the world” by his agent Beppe Riso. This is true. He has been a linchpin for Newcastle over the past few years; football flows through him.

He’s not a mercenary, but neither has the Italy international ever given the inclination that he would be a martyr on Tyneside, devoting his entire career to the growth of this ambitious project.

If suitors, such as Tottenham Hotspur, meet Newcastle’s lofty £100m valuation, it could all work out just fine, with an exciting replacement already lined up.

According to Football Insider, Newcastle are ready to sign Brighton & Hove Albion’s Yasin Ayari this summer, though whether the Seagulls would entertain offers for Sweden’s World Cup star is still unclear.

Last year, Brighton priced the all-action midfielder at £20m amid a wave of interest. Curiosity has only intensified over the past 12 months, so there’s every chance that Newcastle would have to pay a premium this summer.

That said, if the Seagulls are unable to extend his contract, which is about to enter its final year, Newcastle may well manage to land one of the Premier League’s most underrated midfielders for a cut-price fee.

Why Ayari can replace Tonali at Newcastle

He might not be the finished article, but Ayari is undoubtedly capable of making an impact at the heart of Howe’s Newcastle project. They could grow him into a superstar themselves, organically.

He has already shown himself to be one of the most exciting young midfielders in the world, immense in North America across Sweden’s first two matches.

The Netherlands put the Scandinavians to the sword, thrashing them 5-1, but Ayari still impressed. He is calm and collected, with an eye for a pass. Always ready to hit the ignition and start an attack, the 22-year-old balances that emphasis with a strong and combative defensive style.

He might not be quite so elegant as Tonali, but he is a midfielder who could replace the most prominent man. Especially when you think that he would have Bruno Guimaraes beside him, helping him out, offering a counterpoint to his own mix of physical and mental resilience, as was noted by Brighton coach Fabian Hurzeler last season.

The key point here is that Tonali appears eager to leave Newcastle, and Howe must ensure that he cultivates a close-knit mentality once again. In that, perhaps, it’s time to cash in, especially when Ayari is available for a far shrewder price.

He is an all-action midfielder with the slick and stylish approach that could help champion attacking football once again at St. James’ Park.

Tonali is, of course, one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, but he hasn’t been flawless of late, and Ayari could be the perfect replacement, a new up-and-comer who Howe can develop into a superstar.