Newcastle confirmed on Thursday that Sandro Tonali will be eligible for a recall from 28 August, when his ten-month ban for his gambling addiction ends. Eddie Howe will decide on his return to action ahead of the visit of Tottenham Hotspur at St James' Park on 1 September.
Late last year, police raided an Italy national team training camp. They had learned that several internationals had been betting on their own teams' matches to the point of developing gambling disorders.
Sandro Tonali, Newcastle's brand new 80 million euro signing from Milan, was one of them. After weeks of enquiries, a ten-month ban was handed down, which is now about to expire.
"The club has received formal confirmation from the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio (FIGC) that the player’s sporting sanction will run up to and including Tuesday 27th August," Newcastle wrote on their website on Thursday.
Eddie Howe's Magpies will consider Tonali's availability ahead of the Premier League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur on 1 September.
His coach has never made any secret of his desire to have him back. Indeed, at the genesis of his punishment, he tried to cling to the fact that FIFA had kept him off the pitch at international level, not the domestic level so that he could continue to use him.