Hopkinson casts doubt on Sandro Tonali's future and summer approach at Newcastle

After having to endure so much outside noise about Sandro Tonali's Newcastle United future, our very own CEO is now casting doubt over the Italian's place at the club.

Several big Premier League clubs are thought to be very keen to sign Sandro Tonali this summer, with Manchester United seen as favourites as things stand, as they look to find a suitable replacement for Casemiro.

Tonali's agent, Giuseppe Riso, is coming across as a man on a mission to bank himself a big payday by facilitating a sale of one of his top clients.

There has been no suggestion that the player himself is pushing for a move, but it's widely accepted that the Italian international is ambitious and expects to be playing at the highest level, so if Newcastle can't deliver that, it makes sense he'd be looking elsewhere.

It's the very fact that Newcastle looks unlikely to qualify for the Champions League that could see Newcastle actually being proactive in finding a new club for Tonali.

European qualification will define our summer

After speaking about Eddie Howe's future, David Hopkinson told reporters that there's a very real possibility that another top star may be sold this summer (via The Athletic).

While not referring directly to Sandro Tonali, our CEO admitted that Newcastle will 'maximise the opportunity' and sell on 'our terms' should an Alexander Isak-like scenario present itself again, doing little to suggest there won't be another high-profile exit this summer.

“Going forward, our strategy is to buy well and sell well.

“We haven’t got an overall strategy with regards players out, necessarily. We think through what players might or might not want to do this summer.

"But if an Isak-like scenario presents itself again, any player under contract is going to leave on our terms, and we’re going to maximise the opportunity that might represent for the club.”

“Buying well does not necessarily mean spending the most money. It means working in the marketplace for the players that generate the most value for this club, rather than the fee paid for them.

"So there are a multitude of strikes we need to employ, including developing our own, looking for opportunities in the marketplace and making sure we are maximising our opportunity within the available price we can produce.”

It seems the club needs to raise funds for a rebuild as PSR and other financial restrictions mean the club doesn't have a big warchest to do so as things stand.

When the PIF took over, it was felt that Newcastle would no longer be a selling club. That was never really a realistic vision, so it does make sense that Hopkinson would be more open to admitting that, if we are going to sell players, we will make sure we get the right money for them.

Hopkinson didn't name specific players

While Hopkinson didn't mention Tonali by name, everyone has read between the lines that, should Newcastle fail to get back into Europe, someone of his stature may have to be sold to balance the books.

Anthony Gordon is another name mentioned as a possibility in Craig Hope's piece for The Mail. But again, we have to reiterate that Hopkinson didn't name names, but two plus two equals four.

There is interest in both of those players and Newcastle could pretty much name their price for both. It might be a step back for the squad as it stands, but the revenue generated from those big sales would be funnelled back into the kitty to find replacements.

The plan now is to find younger, more unknown players with plenty of potential who don't necessarily have Premier League experience, but have what it takes to succeed in the league. We're thinking more Bruno Guimaraes-like signings than Yoane Wissa types.

It's a riskier strategy on paper, but even players with Premier League experience aren't guaranteed to be successes, as we learned the hard way this seaosn.