"Newcastle > PSG", "Signing of the summer" - Fans in disbelief as Newcastle closing in on €70m deal for highly rated star

Newcastle United are being touted as a better club than Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) as they move closer to signing Sandro Tonali.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that the Magpies have reached a full agreement with AC Milan for Tonali. The deal is in its final stages and the Italian midfielder looks set to join Eddie Howe's side.

Newcastle have offered a salary of €8 million per season plus €2 million in add-ons. The two European sides are now going to negotiate the structure of the €70 million deal.

It's a massive coup for Howe's side given Tonali's emergence as one of Italian football's top-performing midfielders over the years. The 23-year-old featured 48 times across competitions for the Rossoneri last season, scoring two goals and providing ten assists.

Tonali is also an established Italian international, earning 14 caps, providing two assists. He will join a midfield consisting of Brazilian duo Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton and Englishman Joe Willock at St James' Park.

Newcastle are rising as one of Europe's heavyweights following their Saudi-led consortium takeover in 2021. They're now competing with some of Europe's big guns for top talent, and Tonali is one of them.

The Magpies have a UEFA Champions League campaign ahead of them after they finished fourth in the league last season. Howe is looking to bolster his squad ahead of next season.

Fans are stunned by the piece of business conducted by the Tyneside giants. One reckons the Premier League side have pulled off the signing of the summer:

"Signing of the summer. What a swoop."

Another has deemed the Magpies a better club than free-spending Ligue 1 champions PSG:

"Newcastle > PSG."

Here's how Twitter reacted to Newcastle edging closer to sealing Tonali's signing:

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PSG's Marco Verratti spoke glowingly of Tonali last year

Verratti (n pic) was full of praise for Tonali.

Tonali's stock has risen in Italian football, and his Gli Azzurri teammate Marco Verratti was full of praise for him last year. The PSG midfielder dubbed his compatriot as extraordinary and predicted him to have a bright future (via Sempre Milan):

“We are in good shape in midfield. Tonali is an extraordinary guy who has lived through difficult times at Milan, but he never gave up. He has character and will go far."

Tonali joined Milan in 2020 initially on loan from fellow Serie A side Brescia. The Italian took his time adapting to life at the San Siro having been afforded a more defensive role at Le Rondinelle.

However, he did enough to convince the Rosseneri on signing him permanently for €14.5 million the next year. Tonali then became one of the first names in Stefano Pioli's teamsheet, making 130 appearances and winning the Serie A title last year.

Tonali could come up against Verratti in next season's Champions League but for a new club: Newcastle. The Magpies and PSG have both qualified for Europe's elite club competition.