Arsenal showed no signs of utilising the January transfer window…until now.
Deadline day is here, and Andrea Berta suddenly has his work cut out.
Mikel Merino has suffered a serious foot injury, which is set to rule him out for the majority of the 2025/26 campaign.
It’s a huge blow for Arsenal to lose a player as influential as Merino while fighting on all four fronts, which is why Berta has been in talks with a replacement.
Arsenal have been in contact with Sandro Tonali at Newcastle United, a player who would significantly bolster Mikel Arteta’s midfield options if a deal were to be pulled off.
Sandro Tonali to Arsenal on deadline day – yes or no?
Paul Scholes thinks Sandro Tonali is better than Declan Rice
Tonali already has admirers at Arsenal, being the international teammate of Riccardo Calafiori.
Aside from Calafiori, Arteta has liked the midfielder for some time, as the Gunners were reported to have shown transfer interest in 2022.
Outside of the Arsenal sphere, Tonali is recognised as one of the Premier League’s best central midfielders, with Paul Scholes believing that the Italian is actually better than Declan Rice.
Rank these Premier League midfielders, Arsenal could have two of them if Tonali signs 👀
“I love Tonali at Newcastle. He can run, I think he’s been brilliant. I think he’s better than Declan Rice,” Scholes said on The Overlap.
Scholes loves to share a controversial opinion about Arsenal, and this was an instance of one; however, the backlash wouldn’t be as fierce if Tonali joined Rice in red and white.
What is Sandro Tonali’s market value?
If Tonali was valued at a figure anywhere near Rice’s £105m pricetag, then Arsenal’s interest would be redundant.
By Scholes’ view on the two players, that should be the case, but it’s not.
What is the maximum fee Arsenal should pay to sign Sandro Tonali?
According to Transfermarkt’s data, Tonali has an estimated market value of €75m, which is £64m.
That filters in the fact that the Italian is under contract at Newcastle until 2028, which only makes a deal more difficult to pull off.
Berta is a renowned maverick in transfer windows, but can he achieve the unthinkable before 7pm?
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