ITALY boss Roberto Mancini is confident Sandro Tonali will become a ‘better player’ once he settles into his new life at Newcastle United.

Tonali is set to complete his move from AC Milan in the next couple of days, with Magpies officials having spent the weekend ironing out the final technicalities of his switch to St James’ Park.

The 23-year-old midfielder will sign a six-year contract on Tyneside, with Newcastle having agreed a deal that is worth around €70m once add-ons are factored in. Italian media sources claim AC Milan have insisted on a ten per cent sell-on clause being included in the deal.

Tonali, who spent three years with AC Milan after joining from Brescia, successfully passed a medical in the Romanian city of Cluj on Friday.

He is currently skippering Italy’s Under-21 side at the European Championships, with the Italians playing their second game of the group phase against Switzerland on Sunday evening.

Mancini was involved in the selection process that resulted in Tonali being chosen for Under-21 duty, and having handed the Tyneside-bound midfielder 14 senior caps, including appearances against England in both the Nations League and Euro 2024 qualifiers, the Italy boss sees him playing a major role in Italy’s senior side over the course of the next few years.

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From a domestic viewpoint, he is sorry to see him turning back on Serie A, but he expects Tonali to benefit from being exposed to the unique demands of the Premier League.

“On the one hand, there’s some regrets,” said Mancini, who managed in the English top-flight with Manchester City. “If a player as good and young as Tonali leaves Italy, it means there’s some problems.

“On a technical level though, playing in the Premier League will serve Tonali well and help him. It’s good for him.”

Tonali’s international exertions mean he will not be joining up with Newcastle’s non-international players when pre-season begins at the club’s Darsley Park training complex next week.

He is expected to be part of the squad that heads to the United States later this summer though, with the Magpies’ first game of their US tour pitting them against Aston Villa on July 23.