Newcastle United sporting director Dan Ashworth has confirmed that the club are internally investigating Sandro Tonali's summer transfer and he has refused to rule out the Magpies taking legal action against the midfielder's former team AC Milan.
Tonali joined Newcastle from Milan for a reported £55m in July, but has been handed a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules after agreeing a plea bargain with the Italian Football Federation following an investigation last month.
The 23-year-old has been training with Eddie Howe's side but he has been ruled out for the rest of the 2023-24 season, with his ban due to expire on August 27, 2024.
Ashworth, who joined Newcastle in February, has admitted that it was a "massive shock" and "surprise" to learn of Tonali's betting addiction, prompting the club's internal probe, and he has questioned his role in the Italian's big-money transfer to St James' Park.
Speaking as part on an in-depth Q&A on Friday, as quoted by Sky Sports News, Ashworth said: "First and foremost, Sandro is a human being. Everyone in this room has done things we shouldn't have done or things we regret. It was a massive shock, a massive surprise. Dealing with it was new to all of us.
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"Our first port of call is to look after and support him. It's probably more difficult for him than anyone else. We have a programme to support him and thankfully he's able to train with the team, which is great for his mental well-being. We are still trying to unravel what it means in terms of playing games, but he can join in training on a regular basis.
"He was a big signing for us. We didn't expect it. You look at yourself. Could I have done better? Could we have known? Should we have known? You look at your processes. I have been doing this for 16 years and it has never happened before.
"You pride yourself on your due diligence and getting the right characters. The culture in this group is very strong and that is not by chance. We spend an immense amount of time looking at the character as well as the player and the athlete.
"We are reviewing what we have done and we will continue to do it moving forwards. It's a tricky one what you can and can't know about people in this world. I have to reiterate he has been a top-class individual and professional about this."
Asked if Milan could have known about Tonali's betting addiction, confirmed by the players agent last month, and whether Newcastle would consider taking legal action against the Serie A club, Ashworth said: "It's really difficult for me to get into what other clubs do or don't know.
"We can do is look at our own internal investigation and internal process. It's a really difficult question for me to answer, I just don't know.
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"We have had no conversations with [Milan] since but obviously we will welcome them to St James' Park (in the Champions League) as we have done with Dortmund and PSG."
Asked if Tonali has breached his contract and whether Newcastle would look to cut the player's wages in his absence, Ashworth said: "You could look at it like that. Within the contract there is always an amount of flexibility within that.
"It depends how they react when they break a rule etc. As a club, we go back to how well Sandro has reacted and acted since it came to the fore.
"Any player's contract situation is private and confidential. All I can say is that Sandro has been outstanding since this has happened and has been fully collaborative.
"He's been an outstanding professional in that context. Beyond that, I cannot comment because it's private and confidential."
Ashworth has also revealed that Newcastle intend to be "active" in the January transfer window, but the club may not necessarily target a "like-for-like" replacement for Tonali.
