Newcastle 'to stop paying Sandro Tonali's salary' and are 'threatening to sue AC Milan' over betting case

Newcastle United will stop paying Sandro Tonali and are threatening AC Milan with legal action, it has been claimed.

Italian publication Corriere dello Sport, via Mail Sport, has claimed Newcastle are threatening AC Milan with a multi-million pound lawsuit.

This comes after reports Tonali is set to be given a a 10-month suspension for illegal betting on football, which will rule him out for the remainder of the campaign.

This reported impending ban comes less than four months after the Italy international joined the Premier League club from Milan for £52million.

The Italian publication alleged that Newcastle are seriously considering filing a lawsuit against Milan, and are angry that the Italian giants sold them a player that is now set to be unavailable for the majority of the season.

Corriere dello Sport has also allged that Tonali's €8million-a-year (£7million-a-year) salary will be suspended by Newcastle.

SPORTbible have approached Newcastle to seek comment regarding both of these claims.

Tonali has admitted to betting on his own teams to win matches, while his agent recently claimed the 23-year-old is a gambling addict.

Last week, Juventus midfielder Nicolo Fagioli was handed a seven-month ban for illegal betting although his club have agreed to pay his full wages and he will continue to train with the first-team.

Tonali made just 11 appearances for Newcastle since his summer move, and netted on his Premier League debut in a 5-1 win.

Manager Eddie Howe insisted that Newcastle would "throw our arms around'"n the Italy international and "protect" him with a ban on the horizon.

Tonali came off the bench in Newcastle's 4-0 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday while he could now feature against Borussia Dortmund at St James' Park on Wednesday.

SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.