Newcastle 'add ex-Man United midfielder Fred to list of Tonali replacements'
Only three months after forking out £55m to sign Sandro Tonali from AC Milan, the Magpies have now lost the Italy international for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign.
During the recent international break, Azzurri trio Tonali, Nicolo Fagioli and Nicolo Zaniolo were all implicated in an illegal betting scandal, seeing the former and latter pull out of the Italy squad.
Juventus lynchpin Fagioli was given a seven-month suspension after admitting to the gambling offences, but Tonali remained available for selection while his sanction was being determined.
The former Milan midfielder — who was confirmed to have suffered from a gambling addiction by his agent — came off the bench against Borussia Dortmund and Crystal Palace amid reports of an imminent 10-month suspension.
Having bet on Milan to win matches during his time as a Rossoneri player, Tonali was hit with a longer suspension than Fagioli, and his 10-month ban was confirmed by FIFA and Newcastle on Friday.
The 23-year-old will therefore not be eligible to represent Eddie Howe's side until the 2024-25 season, and the Magpies could try to bolster their engine room in January with a short-term loan deal.
Financial Fair Play regulations could prevent Newcastle from bringing in another player permanently, but according to Turkish outlet Fotomac, the Magpies have listed Fred as a loan target.
The Brazilian lynchpin ended his five-year stay with Man United to join Fenerbahce in a €9.7m (£8.5m) deal during the summer window, as the Red Devils took a significant hit on their €59m (£51.5m) investment.
Fred has hit the ground running in Turkey, setting up
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