According to sources, Newcastle United may look at Andrey Santos, a Nottingham Forest loanee, as a possible replacement for Sandro Tonali.
Just months after moving to St James’ Park for a reported £55 million, Tonoli may be facing a protracted ban from football when it was revealed that he had bet on AC Milan games while he was a player for the team. During the international break, the 23-year-old was pulled from Italy’s training camp; Newcastle has since confirmed that the club is supporting him.
If Tonali receives a ban, Newcastle will have to find replacements when the transfer window opens in January. Additionally, Santos is listed as one of their possible targets on TEAMtalk.
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The Chelsea midfielder has had difficulty getting into games since joining Forest on a season-long loan in the summer. The 19-year-old’s only minutes came in the Carabao Cup loss against Burnley in August; he has yet to play in the Premier League for the team.
Although Scott McTominay of Manchester United and Kalvin Phillips of Manchester City are reportedly also on Newcastle’s list, Santos’ condition may indicate that Chelsea is more open to a trade. The fact that Newcastle currently has Lewis Hall on loan from Chelsea for this season could be the one obstacle.
This implies that Hall will either make a permanent move or Newcastle and Chelsea will agree to a permanent move for Santos. Before the Brazilian moved to Chelsea in January, there were rumours that the Magpies were interested in him.
Santos’ loan move to Forest would certainly have to be terminated as part of any trade, giving Steve Cooper one fewer midfield option. Despite his limited playing time thus far, the Forest manager has a high admiration for the midfielder.
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