Manchester City take a 2-0 advantage into their Carabao Cup semi-final against Newcastle United on Wednesday night.
Goals from Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki earned the Citizens an impressive victory in the first leg at St. James’ Park last month, and City boss Pep Guardiola will expect to see his side secure their place in the final.
Last time out, however, City were held to a 2-2 draw by struggling Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, despite going into half-time 2-0 up.
Ahead of Wednesday’s game, it has emerged that Wednesday’s match could give City a chance to see one of their transfer targets in action.
As per The Sun, Manchester City boss Guardiola is a huge admirer of Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali.
The report claims that rumours suggesting that Arsenal had attempted to sign the Italy midfielder late in the recent transfer window were untrue, however the Gunners are also interested in the player.
Tonali has emerged as a target for three of the Premier League’s biggest clubs (Photo: PA Images/Alamy)
Tonali, 25, joined Newcastle from Italian outfit AC Milan back in 2023 and has now played more than 90 times for the club across all competitions, establishing himself as a key player for Eddie Howe.
The report suggests that Chelsea are also known to be keeping tabs on the Italian midfielder, who is set to be at the centre of a transfer battle when the window reopens this summer.
It is claimed that the ex-Brescia man could cost as much as £100 million this summer, with the significant amount of interest being shown in him likely to push his price tag up.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is said to be keen to pair Tonali with talisman Declan Rice in the heart of his midfield, but the Gunners will likely face fierce competition in the race to land the Italian.