Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said there is a "high chance" that Sandro Tonali could be involved in Saturday's Premier League clash against Wolves despite being handed a 10-month ban by Italian authorities for breaching betting rules.
The Italian football federation announced on Thursday the 23-year-old midfielder had been suspended until next season following an investigation, although the sanction is yet to be ratified by governing bodies Uefa and Fifa.
The ban had seemingly ruled Tonali, who joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July for around £55 million, out of the rest of the Premier League season as well as next year’s European Championship should Italy qualify.
Asked for his views on the ban on Friday, Howe said: "It's a difficult one because we haven't had official confirmation as a football club yet. "So we've heard the news, the speculation, statement, but we haven't had anything from the Italian authorities at the moment so we're sort of in limbo really, waiting for that official confirmation to come through." Howe said Tonali could feature at Molineux on Saturday. "There's a high chance again he could be available for us," he said. "I think there's a few things that have to happen before the ban is imposed, so we'll see." The ban is not the only thing on Howe's mind.