In the transfer market, there are many what-if stories regarding potential deals that could have occurred. The latest story that has emerged is Juventus' pursuit of Newcastle United standout Sandro Tonali when the player was still in Serie A with Brescia Calcio.
Sandro Tonali enjoyed his best years in Italy's top flight with AC Milan after joining from Brescia in 2020. During his time at San Siro, he made 130 appearances and contributed seven goals and 13 assists across all competitions.
However, his tenure with Milan wouldn't last long. In 2023, AC Milan would sell the Italian player for a transfer fee of €70 million with add-ons, per ESPN. Tonali would also sign a five-year contract until 2028 with the Premier League club.
The fee will make Tonali the most expensive Italian player ever. It also sets a record transfer for Milan, surpassing the €68 million deal with Real Madrid for Brazilian midfielder Kaká back in 2009.
Could Sandro Tanoli have ended up at Juventus?
On Tuesday, Zvonimir Boban, the former player and executive for AC Milan, shared some insights on Sky Sport Italia about his time with the club. He expressed disappointment over Milan selling Tonali and noted that the player rejected Juventus in 2020 to head to San Siro.
"Milan sold Tonali, their best Italian player, who was very attached to the club," Boban said in the post-match analysis of Milan-Liverpool (h/t Tutto Juve). "Seeing him away from Milan is a disappointment; these things come at a cost. To join Milan, he turned down Juventus, who had offered €42 million to Brescia; those are values that should never be lost."
It was unlikely that Milan would have sold Tonali to Juventus and kept him in Serie A when they sold him last year. They took the most money and had him move away from Italy while the player continued his career abroad.
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