Newcastle boss Eddie Howe reveals new twist in Sandro Tonali gambling saga ahead of Wolves clash

Italian FA chief Gabriele Gravina confirmed an agreement had been reached for a 10-month ban, with the midfielder also set to undergo eight months of therapy.

"An agreement has already been reached between the Federal Prosecutor's Office and Sandro Tonali, which occurred before the referral, therefore it must be endorsed by the undersigned, which I have already done," Gravina said.

"A plea bargain is envisaged for 18 months of which 8 months is activity recovery, some concerns therapeutic activity and at least 16 face-to-face meetings as testimony.

"A plea bargain is foreseen, mitigating circumstances are foreseen, the boys collaborated beyond belief, so we continue to respect the rules we have set for ourselves."

But Howe says Newcastle are still waiting for official confirmation on Tonali's ban.

And he also revealed the midfielder could feature against Wolves as the Toon look to continue their impressive start to the season.

"We haven't had official confirmation as a football club yet," he said.

"We've heard the news, the speculation, but we haven't had anything from the Italian authorities; we are in limbo waiting for confirmation to come through.

"There is a high chance he could be available tomorrow.

"There are still a few things that have to happen for the ban to be imposed."

On Tonali's mindset, he continued: "He was bright when he came on against Dortmund.

"From the moment this happened, his training performances have been very good.

"His mood is the same; it is there in the background and I'm sure there are difficult times for him."

Tonali has been accused of betting on AC Milan matches prior to his summer move to Tyneside.

His agent, Gisueppe Risso, has claimed his client is suffering from a gambling addiction and is facing the biggest fight of his career so far.

"Sandro is playing an important game against gambling addiction - he will win this one too,' he said.

"I'd like to thank Newcastle who have always stood by Sandro. He is in shock, shaken and sad," he said recently.

"I hope that this experience saves his life and that of many others, that it helps those who fall into the same habit as him."

Howe also admits there's frustration surrounding Tonali's face due to the fact they spent big money on him back in the summer.

"I think I said in the press conference the other day that I can't work with hindsight so you make a decision at the time with the knowledge you have," he said.

"We really liked him as a footballer and had no idea that this was even a possibility.

"Of course there's a frustration and a disappointment that we're not going to have a quality player for a period of time.

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"I think there's always scope to improve everything that we deliver for our young players and that's education, advising them of the pitfalls.

"These pitfalls have been there for many years and there's different types that can occur in their careers.

"The better guidance we can give them at a younger age then hopefully these situations can be avoided."