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Newcastle United officials are believed to be frustrated after Sandro Tonali's agent made more public comments about his client's future.

Tonali is tied to Newcastleuntil at least 2028, with the possibility of an improved contract, but his agent Giuseppe Riso has added more fuel to the fire with another batch of quotes. Despite Arsenalsources confirming Tonali is not on the Gunners' radar, Manchester City and Manchester Unitedcontinue to be linked with the midfielder.

Riso has responded to questions from Italian publication Calcio and Finanza and has implied that Newcastle was a stepping stone towards a larger club.

When questioned about his transfer to Newcastle, Riso said: "The deal came about because a club like Newcastle with unlimited financial resources had decided to invest in Sandro. We considered the idea of having the player play in a higher-level league."

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Regarding a potential departure from Tyneside to possibly Arsenal or Manchester City, Riso added: "Exactly, that was the goal from the moment he went to England – to try to make him a star player. I think he's the Italian footballer with one of the highest values in the world.", reports Chronicle Live.

Discussing the likelihood of Tonali being in high demand following the World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, Riso said: "If he shines at the World Cup, will City or Arsenal be hot on his heels? I don't know...but it's very likely. Everyone is waiting for the World Cup; then a thousand scenarios will unfold, but it all kicks off after the World Cup."

However, Italy still needs to win in a play-off against Northern Ireland before taking on either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina if they are to secure a spot in next summer's finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has remained steadfast that any interest in the player, won't impact his player and that he remains fully committed to the cause on Tyneside.

Speaking last month, he said: "As far as I'm aware, we've got a player that's an outstanding footballer, an outstanding person.

"He's very happy here, he's got a great relationship with me, his team-mates, he seems really, really happy within himself, so that would surprise me.

"But our best players will always be attracting glances from other clubs, that's just the reality of football. We want to keep the group together, we want to keep being progressive and, of course, Sandro plays a part in that, trying to hit his best levels and play as well as he can to help the team."

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