Newcastle United have turned down a bid from Tottenham Hotspur for Sandro Tonali worth about £80m, a move that signals the scale of the rebuild Roberto De Zerbi is orchestrating at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The offer, made earlier this week, was swiftly rejected by Newcastle, who are in a strong position to demand a fee closer to £100m as Manchester City and Arsenal monitor developments.
Tonali, the 26-year-old Italy international, is effectively contracted to Newcastle until 2030 after signing a new deal during his 10-month betting ban. The club's chief executive, David Hopkinson, has made clear they will only trade players on "our terms". That resolve has already been tested: Newcastle sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona this summer, but Hopkinson insists the club will not be forced into a sale.
“Newcastle reject Spurs' £80m bid for Sandro Tonali as De Zerbi's rebuild continues with Van Hecke signing.”
De Zerbi's pursuit of Tonali is part of a broader transformation at Spurs, who narrowly avoided relegation on the final day of the season. Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham vowed "change is happening" in an interview with BBC Sport in May, and the club have already acted decisively. They completed the £52m signing of Netherlands defender Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton, a deal that would have been unimaginable in previous windows given he had just one year left on his contract.
Van Hecke, 26, signed a "long-term" deal containing a significant sell-on fee for Brighton. "It's a huge honour to become a Spurs player and when you join such a big club, it's a dream come true," he said. He reunites with De Zerbi, under whom he played at Brighton, and will line up alongside Dutch international teammates Micky van de Ven and Xavi Simons. "Jan Paul is someone I know very well from our time together at Brighton," De Zerbi said. "He is a strong, intelligent centre-back who is brave in possession and plays with personality."
Spurs have also adapted their wage structure and signed Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers before the window officially opened. Yet their opening gambit for Tonali marks a club-record bid – surpassing the £65m paid for Dominic Solanke – but it was not enough. The rejection is telling in a week when Newcastle lost out to Liverpool in the race for Spain winger Victor Munoz; had Spurs succeeded with their opening offer, it would have been a damning blow.
Newcastle's bargaining position is strengthened by a market where midfielders command huge fees. Manchester City had a second bid worth about £120m rejected by Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson, while relegated West Ham want up to £80m for Mateus Fernandes – a player Spurs have also pursued after agreeing personal terms, though they have no deal with West Ham.
For now, Tonali remains a Newcastle player, and it will clearly take a great deal more to tempt the club to cash in.