The gossip columns in Italian football are not short of a mention for Newcastle United these days.

Having seen Lloyd Kelly's unveiling with Serie A side Juventus make front page news of La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italian fans unfolding the famous pink paper in the cafes of Turin and Milan love a line about Sandro Tonali it seems. A column in the newspaper this week it is suggested that Juve's sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli is aiming for quality additions to his midfield for next season.

And despite his allegiance with AC Milan, Tonali remains at the top of that list. La Gazzetta reported this week: "In the middle of the pitch, the Juventus technical director's dream is called Sandro Tonali.

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"Douglas Luiz has not lived up to expectations so far. If nothing changes between now and June, Douglas Luiz could be the card to play with Newcastle to lower the fee to get to the former Milan player.

"It is clear that, in any case, Juventus should plan for a balancing payment with the Magpies in addition to the former Aston Villa player's fee, because, despite the balance sheet valuations of the two players next summer being similar (around 40 million), due to age and current performance, Tonali is worth more than Douglas."

Just last year Tonali's stock was not so high in Italy as he remained banned due to his 10-month FIFA suspension. It cost Tonali and Italy his participation at Euro 2024 when the then holders went out in the last 16 to Switzerland in an awful 2-0 defeat.

Newcastle are hardly likely to entertain offers for Tonali and hope to be able to offer him both the chance to win a trophy this season and get back to the Champions League.

Journalist Mirko Di Natale, who covers Juventus for Tuttojuve.com told Chronicle Live from Turin: "Initially it wasn't positive (coverage and public perception on Tonali after the betting scandal), but the fans are watching him on the pitch and they are appreciating him at the moment.

"But Tonali has always been considered one of the most promising Italian midfielders. He has had some setbacks, but we are seeing how he is pushing hard both at Newcastle and with the Italian national team."

For now, Tonali remains a Newcastle player with his agent Seppe Riso saying last week: "Sandro is one of the best midfielders in the world. He now has a value that Italian clubs will find difficult to afford. I envision a career for him away from Serie A."

Although given the persistence of Juventus in the transfer market these days that may not stop the Turin side from trying to turn his head.