Real Madrid scouts were in attendance for Saturday's FA Cup fifth round clash between Newcastle and Manchester City, but they weren't just there to spy on their upcoming opponents.
As well as trying to pinpoint City's weaknesses ahead of their Champions League round of 16 clash on Wednesday, Los Blancos staff were keeping a close eye on a potential transfer target.
The Spanish side are preparing to join a handful of European clubs, including Arsenal and Juventus, in the race to sign Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, who is said to be 'high on Madrid's agenda'.
A report from The Sun claims the lure of playing for Madrid 'could be a hard one to resist' for the 25-year-old.
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Tonali has been strongly linked with a move away from St James' Park.
Premier League leaders Arsenal are believed to have made an approach to sign the Italy international in the closing stages of the January window, but Newcastle swiftly turned down the enquiry, as per Florian Plettenberg.
Tonali, who is currently in his third season at Newcastle following his £55 million move from AC Milan in 2023, was asked about his future in November.
"This is a tough question because, you know [in] football you need to think year for year," he said.
"The last summer was tough for us, for Alex [Isak], but this is football. If you have an option for your life, for another team you need to think about everything. I don’t want to say, ‘Yes, I want to stay here ten years,’ but now I’m happy here. I don’t think anything about another team."
Tonali's agent, Giuseppe Riso, played down talk of a move in January but suggested they would review his client's situation in the summer.
"These transfer discussions will take place later," he said. "We’ll see how the season ends and then we’ll decide what to do. There’s no preference at the moment. It’s still early."
Paul Scholes names Sandro Tonali as the Premier League's best midfielder
On a recent episode of The Overlap, former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes was full of praise for Tonali.
Asked to name the Premier League's best midfielder, he said: "Right now? That’s tough. I still don’t class Moises Caicedo as an all-round midfield player. I know he scored a great goal and was brilliant the other day.
"I got some stick last year after having a go at him and I almost thought about taking that back because he was brilliant in the Club World Cup. I just prefer the controlling type of midfield players who play with a bit more style and can score goals a bit more often than Caicedo."
Scholes added: "I love Sandro Tonali as well. He’s been brilliant. Very good. I would probably choose Tonali at this point."
Topics: Real Madrid, Premier League, Newcastle United, Man City, FA Cup
Jack Kenmare