By Kieran Maguire

11th Jul, 2023 | 6:00am

Kieran Maguire makes 'huge' £149m Newcastle United claim after Sandro Tonali deal agreed

Newcastle United face a ‘huge’ challenge balancing their wage bill following the marquee signing of Sandro Tonali.

That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who exclusively told Football Insider that Newcastle have set a new ‘benchmark’ by signing the Italian.

The Magpies confirmed earlier this month that they had struck a £55million deal with AC Milan to sign the 23-year-old on a five-year contract.

According to The Times, Tonali’s wage at St James’ Park will be around £140,000 per week, making him one of the club’s highest earners.

Newcastle’s wage bill was posted at £149.2million in their latest financial accounts in 2021/22, although that figure will have inevitably risen since then following the arrivals of Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak and Tonali among others.

Maguire believes Newcastle will now face a ‘huge challenge’ to strike a balance between their wage bill being attractive to players but also sustainable.

“Left to their own devices, the Newcastle owners would probably be willing to pay limitless amounts in terms of wages,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.

“But they are constrained both domestically and on the European front by cost control measures in the Premier League and by Uefa.

“A wage structure which is attractive and appealing, as well as being within the rules, is a tight balancing act.

“But we’ve seen other clubs have wage limits which have been acceptable to players.

“I think the additional revenues that are being brought in through Champions League qualification will give Newcastle some leeway.

“I think the challenge now is that you’ve got one player coming in on £140,000 per week and that now becomes a benchmark for every major signing going forwards.

“I think that’s going to be a huge challenge for Newcastle.“

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