Newcastle United will reportedly look to sign a new midfielder in January due to the anticipated loss of Sandro Tonali to a lengthy ban, with Ruben Neves, Scott McTominay and Kalvin Phillips all on their radar.
The Magpies forked out around £55m to sign Tonali from AC Milan in the summer, and the 23-year-old has since become a first-team regular under manager Eddie Howe, featuring in 10 games across all competitions this season.
However, Tonali is currently at the centre of an illegal betting scandal in Italian football, with Newcastle confirming on Wednesday that the midfielder is being investigated by Italian prosecutors.
Tonali is said to have admitted to betting on football games, both in which he played and did not play, for AC Milan to win during his time at the Serie A club, and he is now at risk of a lengthy suspension ranging between seven months and three years from worldwide football.
A ban of at least 12 months would see Tonali's 2023-24 campaign come to an abrupt end and he could also be forced to miss out on representing Italy at Euro 2024 if the Azzurri, as expected, managed to qualify.
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It is understood that Tonali, who is battling a gambling addiction according to his agent, is available to play for Newcastle in Saturday's Premier League clash at home against Crystal Palace, but that could be his last Magpies outing for some time as confirmation of his punishment is expected at some stage next week.
The expected lengthy absence of Tonali will come as a major blow to Howe, who was relying on the midfielder to be a central figure in his Newcastle side during a busy fixtures schedule on the domestic front and in the Champions League.
According to The Telegraph, Newcastle will push to sign a new midfielder in January to cover for Tonali's absence and will consider both loan and permanent deals, with loan moves thought to be more likely.
The report adds that the Magpies could look to loan former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Neves from Al-Hilal, given the two teams are controlled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
At the age of 26, Neves made the surprise move to the Middle East in the summer despite reported interest from several top European clubs, and the Portugal international has since featured 11 times for Al-Hilal, who sit top of the Saudi Pro League.
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Newcastle could also look to reignite their interest in Manchester United's McTominay and Manchester City's Phillips, after the Magpies held a strong interest in both players during the summer.
McTominay has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular for the Red Devils under Erik ten Hag, starting just two of the club's first 11 games in all tournaments this season, although he showed his value as a substitute with two late goals in a 2-1 comeback win over Brentford before the international break.
The Scotland international is expected to be the subject of much interest from a number of clubs in January, but a recent report claims that the 26-year-old has no interest in leaving Man United midway through the season.
Meanwhile, Phillips is allegedly ready to consider a winter-window exit from Man City having failed to gain regular first-team football under Pep Guardiola, starting just five of his 26 appearances since joining the club from Leeds United in the summer of 2022.
Newcastle are believed to have been one of several clubs that have been alerted by Phillips's latest comments hinting at a possible January exit, with the England international announcing earlier this week that he will have to "make a decision" on his future "over the next months".
Oliver Thomas
