Manchester City are lining up an audacious move for Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali as they prepare for a major rebuild in midfield and brace for the possible exits of both Bernardo Silva and Rodri.
The Italian sits high on City’s recruitment board alongside Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, with the Premier League champions determined to secure a world-class operator at the heart of their side ahead of the 2026–27 campaign.
Bernardo on the brink, Rodri in the balance
Bernardo Silva’s contract runs out in June and, inside the Etihad, there is a growing acceptance that the club captain is likely to move on at the end of the season. Losing his craft and intelligence between the lines would already represent a significant reset.
Rodri’s future only deepens the sense of unease.
The Ballon d’Or winner, the metronome of Pep Guardiola’s side, is facing what has been described as an uncertain future at City. Hugo Viana and his team are expected to open contract talks with Rodri’s camp in the coming months, but the club is not waiting passively for a resolution. Their recruitment strategy is already being shaped around the possibility that their midfield axis could look very different within two years.
That is where Anderson and Tonali come in.
Executives at City have placed Anderson at the top of their wish list, and they are believed to be frontrunners for his signature, with the England international expected to leave Nottingham Forest after the FIFA World Cup. Yet inside the corridors of power at the Etihad, there is also a clear understanding: to truly shore up the midfield for the long term, they want Tonali as well.
Tonali watched closely – but Newcastle stand firm
City have been actively monitoring Tonali’s situation at St James’ Park after what has been labelled a disappointing season for the Magpies. The 24-year-old is viewed as entering the prime of his career, and the lure is obvious: a chance to compete for major trophies at an elite club, with Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal all credited with interest.
The attraction is mutual on a footballing level, but the deal itself is anything but straightforward.
Tonali is under contract at Newcastle until June 2029, with an option for a further 12 months. According to The Athletic, there is no gentlemen’s agreement between player and club to ease a departure from Tyneside this summer. Any suggestion of a pre-arranged escape hatch has been firmly dismissed.
There is, the report says, “mutual respect and appreciation” between Newcastle officials and the Italy international. Respect, though, does not equate to a discount. City have been warned they face a “tall order” if they want to prise Tonali away.
Newcastle are understood to value him at around €100 million, and his future is expected to be clarified only after the FIFA World Cup across the Atlantic. City, for their part, are likely to need Tonali himself to push hard for the move if negotiations are to gain real traction. One report has even suggested he would have to effectively hand in a €100m transfer request to force Newcastle’s hand.
City’s calculation: how much change is too much?
Inside the Etihad, the equation is delicate. City want Anderson, they admire Tonali, and they are trying to protect themselves against the worst-case scenario of losing both Bernardo and Rodri in quick succession.
But timing is everything.
Whether City formalise their interest in Tonali is expected to hinge on how talks with Rodri unfold. Secure the Spaniard on a new long-term deal and the urgency for a second big-money midfielder softens. Lose him, and Tonali suddenly shifts from luxury target to near-necessity.
For now, City watch, wait and plan. Newcastle hold the contract, the price and most of the leverage. Tonali holds the key.
If he decides his future lies under the lights of the Etihad rather than on Tyneside, this could become the defining transfer battle of City’s next era in midfield.
