According to Fichajes, Newcastle are preparing a €20m (£17.5m) bid for Real Madrid’s Dani Ceballos with Sandro Tonali set to receive a lengthy ban.
Eddie Howe had strengthened his midfield with the addition of Tonali from AC Milan in the summer, but we are now expected to be light in the middle as he receives punishment for illegal gambling.
Because of this unexpected suspension, we could be in the market for another central midfielder. The Spanish media claim Ceballos has been lined up as a potential ‘replacement’, although it does feel like an easy rumour for the press to produce based on Tonali’s impending ban.
The 27-year-old has previous Premier League experience from his loan spells at Arsenal and is currently struggling for game time at the Santiago Bernabéu.
With the Spaniard keen to go elsewhere to get first-team minutes and work his way back into the national team setup, this could be an ideal move for all parties. However, I can’t see us spending £17.5m on a short-term fix and would believe this report far more if a loan bid was mentioned.
