Man Utd set to abandon Sandro Tonali pursuit - Ben Jacobs

Sandro Tonali to Manchester United is one of those stories that has taken on a life of its own, and for many Newcastle United fans, it was starting to give Alexander Isak flashbacks.

Last year, the media pushed and pushed the Isak to Liverpool narrative, practically willing it into reality. Obviously, there was no smoke without fire, but from a fan's perspective, watching our star player linked every single day with a move away, things got tiresome quickly, and that certainly didn't help with the eventual animosity towards the striker when he left.

As Manchester United assesses its options to replace outgoing Casemiro in the summer, Sandro Tonali's name has come up very often. Daily, in fact. Again, there's a feeling of no smoke without fire, and it has felt like Tonali's own agent has been the one with the kerosene and the matches.

Add to these little sparks the fact that Newcastle look likely to miss out on Champions League football, which will dramatically affect their transfer plans, and Newcastle fans are already starting to prepare for the inevitable.

Man United have been put off Tonali due to cost

However, for those of us who are big Tonali fans, there could now be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Arsenal already wound down their interest in Sandro after they were the catalyst for his exit rumours at the end of the January window, and now, according to journalist Ben Jacobs, talking to The United Stand podcast, Man United could be about to do the same.

Jacobs claims that Man United could abandon plans to sign Sandro Tonali because they feel it would simply be too costly to pull off. While they are also expected to back off from a potential move for Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton, claiming that he's too similar to Kobbie Mainoo.

🚨 #mufc are not keen on signing Tonali due to his high fee and wages, feeling he wouldn’t represent value for money. Also, Adam Wharton could be ruled out, with the club viewing him as too similar in profile to Kobbie Mainoo. [@jacobsben] pic.twitter.com/wdEUP8wjLA

— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) April 9, 2026

Newcastle should go for Adam Wharton

That could be double good news for Newcastle. If Adam Wharton is on the market, then the Magpies could make a move for the England midfielder to add to their ranks this summer.

There's a long-standing interest in Wharton, and with Crystal Palace unravelling like a TK Maxx sweater, there's a chance Newcastle could swoop. Newcastle haven't actually been linked with Wharton for a while, but we have solid form when it comes to going back to transfers that passed us by in the past.

As for Tonali, we still expect he'll be moved on to raise funds to rejig the midfield, but with a bit of luck, he now won't be going to another Premier League side, and if it is, at least it's not Manchester United.