Newcastle United "were no longer working on" a deal to sign Dominik Szoboszlai over the past few weeks because their "focus was on Sandro Tonali", claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
Newcastle United transfer news – What's the latest on Dominik Szoboszlai and Sandro Tonali?
The Magpies enjoyed an unbelievable season last year, qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in two decades and making it to the final of the Carabao Cup, despite falling at the final hurdle.
It's no surprise that with their new status as the richest club in the world and the arrival of continental football at St James' Park, Eddie Howe and Co are looking to make a statement in the summer transfer window.
That said, the Toon haven't had it all their own way thus far, with long-term target James Maddison signing for Tottenham Hotspur earlier this week with the Metro reporting that the England international was impressed with Ange Postecoglou's pitch.
Another player that seems to have slipped through the cracks is Hungarian international and RB Leipzig star, Szoboszlai.
According to Football Insider, the dynamic midfielder was on Howe's shortlist of potential transfer targets, and the Magpies eventually made an 'approach to sign' the 22-year-old back in May.
However, it appears that any deal with the club would have been pointless, as Leipziger Volkszeitung reporter Guido Schafer claimed on the Anfield Roar podcast (via NewcastleWorld) that:
"He (Szoboszlai) wants to leave. He said 'I want to make the next step', and he loves the Premier League. If he can choose between Champions League with Newcastle and Europa League with Jurgen Klopp, he will choose Klopp and the Europa League. That is for sure."
The Hungarian dynamo now looks to have gotten his wish, with Liverpool having reportedly offered to pay the German club the £60m required to activate his release clause.
However, according to Romano, Newcastle were less keen than first thought and had recently stopped working on the deal to focus on their primary transfer target, AC Milan's Tonali.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: "Let me say for Newcastle fans that in the past few days, Newcastle were no longer working on this one because their focus was on Sandro Tonali.
"Sandro Tonali is a done deal and will be announced I think during the weekend from what I am told."
How good is Sandro Tonali?
The Italian international has been brilliant in Serie A over the last few seasons, earning himself a loan move to AC Milan from Brescia in 2020 before making the move permanent in 2021.
Since making his debut at the San Siro, he has made 130 appearances for the club, helping the team to win the Scudetto for the first time in 11 years in the 2021/22 season.
According to WhoScored, the 23-year-old averaged a brilliant rating of 6.91 across his 34 Serie A appearances last season, scoring twice and assisting his teammates another seven times.
The "leader", as described by football scout Jacek Kulig, is set to cost the Toon at least £55m, but based on his fantastic performances for Milan, that could well look like a bargain a few years down the line.