Manchester United could miss out on signing Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall this summer after Tottenham Hotspur secured an agreement to land Sandro Tonali.
Spurs recently beat United to the signing of West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes, and they have quickly followed it up by finalising a deal with the Magpies for Tonali.
The Italian, who was also linked with United, is poised to join Spurs for an overall package worth £100 million. This could hamper United’s chances of signing left-back Lewis Hall.
Hall, described as ‘fearless‘ by BBC Sport, has been identified as a potential target to provide competition for Luke Shaw at left-back, given that Patrick Dorgu is viewed as a future left winger.
United believe Hall could be prised away for around £50m, but the Magpies’ decision to part ways with Tonali could have a detrimental impact on their prospects of signing him.
Newcastle could hold out for a hefty transfer sum
Eddie Howe’s side have already sanctioned two big-money player exits. Anthony Gordon joined Barcelona for £70m last month, and they have now agreed to sell Tonali to Spurs for £100m.
With the huge incoming funds, the Magpies are in a strong financial position despite the lack of European football, and they could resist losing another star player unless a hefty bid is made.
The reported £50m valuation for Hall could now easily increase to £70-80m, which would be a blow for United. The Red Devils are quite clear that they won’t overpay for any player this summer.
If the Magpies were to raise their asking price for Hall, United are more likely to move on. They could look at Sporting CP’s Maxi Araujo as a possible alternative to the Chelsea graduate.
Araujo has been much fancied to move to the Premier League, with the Blues also keen. He has a £69m release clause in his Sporting CP contract, but he could be prised away for £52m.
