AC Milan supremo Giorgio Furlani has revealed he received "death threats" after the £55million sale of Sandro Tonali to Newcastle United.

Tonali arrived at Newcastle for £55million in 2023 and has been linked with his old club again in recent weeks. He remains a firm favourite with Milan supporters but United insist they have no intention of selling him in January or in the mid-term future.

Furlani, speaking in Italy, said: "I was aware of the volatility that comes from the fact that the media and fans talk about our club, but I understood that there’s no way to escape what they say on TV or write in the newspapers.

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"It really affects you on the bad days. And then there are even worse days, like when I receive death threats, for example, when we sold Tonali, one of our best players.

"It’s in those moments that I thought: ‘Okay, these are things they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School'."

Tonali's agent Giuseppe Riso has been pressed on the recurring rumours of Tonali going back to Milan. He said: "Sandro is not considering a return to Serie A. He's happy at Newcastle, happy to play in the best league in the world and is an idol for Newcastle fans who've always supported him."

Tonali was fantastic at Ipswich and has been back in form alongside Bruno Guimaraes in midfield after being restored to the number 6 role. His head coach Eddie Howe said on Saturday night, speaking after the 4-0 win, said: "I thought Sandro was magnificent again at the heart of the team, he gave us a real stability and control."