Fans are busy preparing a welcome party for Tonali in Newcastle United as his transfer is almost complete

Sandro Tonali’s move from AC Milan to Newcastle United is virtually complete, therefore it’s time to see who comes next.

While Newcastle fans are abuzz with the news that Sandro Tonali’s move to Tyneside is nearing completion, there is also the matter of the remainder of Newcastle’s summer transfer activity.

Given that the fee for Tonali is expected to be greater than the £63 million we paid for Alexander Isak last summer, it’s safe to assume that reports of Newcastle’s summer transfer budget being as low as £75 million were exaggerated, especially given that 90 minutes claims Newcastle wants four more players after Tonali.

After outperforming expectations last season, Newcastle’s approach to the summer market was always going to be a guessing game. The owners did not anticipate Champions League football so soon into their undertaking, thus spending Champions League money in their second summer window was most likely not in their brief.

Financial Fair Play restrictions will heavily influence the next few comings and goings because, despite qualifying for the top European competition for the first time in 20 years, it will take a few more years in said competition before we are bringing in the kind of money that would make FFP less of an issue.

However, because FFP operates on a three-year rolling basis, Newcastle has the option to gamble and spend large this year and less the next two. The concern is that if we spend large now and don’t make it back into the Champions League, we’ll be obliged to sell top players to even things out, which will put us right back where we started.

According to the article in 90mins, Newcastle are willing to take that chance because, despite paying much on Tonali, the Magpies want four more players this summer.

Eddie Howe will want a full-back, a right-sided defender, a wide forward, and a number ten. The report mentions James Maddison as the main option for the latter post, but sources last night stated that Newcastle’s interest in Maddison has cooled as they have shifted their emphasis to Dominik Szoboszlai.

Whichever of those players Newcastle signs is likely to cost more than £50 million, bringing the total investment to more than £100 million with three more players to sign.

Tonali’s AC Milan teammate Theo Hernandez was touted last night as a fantastic full back, but he is not cheap.

It appears that we will have a really eventful summer.