Sky Sports: Newcastle closing in on £55m deal after Nicolo Barella move hit trouble

Sky Sports have now weighted in with an update on Newcastle's pursuit of Sandro Tonali after The Athletic revealed that a €70m (£60m) deal is 'close.'

In an update on Twitter, Sky's North East reporter Keith Downie has announced that Newcastle are 'closing in' on a deal worth £55m for the AC Milan midfielder, suggesting the fee could be marginally lower than The Athletic report.

Downie states there's real hope a deal will be agreed, adding that Tonali was pursued after a move for Inter Milan's Nicolo Barella proved too expensive.

The Telegraph revealed last week that Barella was 'closing in' on a £50m move to St James' Park. However, it's thought Inter were demanding a fee in the region of £80m for the 26-year-old Italian.

Both are top class midfielders. It's an exciting sign of the times on Tyneside that we are now launching big-money moves for two Serie A stars who were battling it out in the Champions League semi final just a few months ago.

What a time to be a Toon fan. See Downie's update for Sky Sports below: