Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal worth up to £100m with Newcastle United for midfielder Sandro Tonali, breaking their transfer record for the second time this week. The fee comprises an initial £92.5m plus £7.5m in add-ons, topping the £85m agreement struck with West Ham for Mateus Fernandes just days earlier.
Manager Roberto de Zerbi, a long-time admirer of the Italian international according to BBC Sport, identified Tonali as a target during his time at Sassuolo several years ago when the midfielder was playing in Serie A. De Zerbi had just kept Spurs up on the final day of last season with a 1-0 win over Everton, and in his final news conference said: "My target is to start the pre-season with the team I have in my dream." That dream is rapidly becoming reality after an aggressive start to the summer window.
“Spurs agree £100m Tonali deal, breaking record again after £85m Fernandes signing.”
Manchester City and Arsenal also showed an interest in Tonali, BBC Sport reported, but neither club made a formal approach. The 26-year-old joined Newcastle from AC Milan for £55m in July 2023. He was later banned for 10 months by the Italian Football Federation for breaching betting rules shortly after his arrival, but returned to help Newcastle win their first major domestic trophy in 70 years – the 2025 Carabao Cup – and qualify for the Champions League.
Spurs have also added Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers, and could end up spending a combined £237m on centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke and midfielders Fernandes and Tonali. Despite finishing 17th in back-to-back seasons, the club are benefiting from strong off-the-field revenues as they look to bounce back.
Newcastle, by contrast, have effectively needed to trade to reinvest. The departure of Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon (who joined Barcelona for £69.3m), and now Tonali within less than a year is sobering. The club have made positive progress in their bid to sign Hoffenheim's 20-year-old Ivory Coast winger Bazoumana Toure, and have so far only signed 20-year-old goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen this summer.
The Tonali deal also adds a twist to Arsenal and Manchester United's pursuit of midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. The Gunners have held talks over a move for the midfielder, but any deal has just got trickier to complete, according to the Evening Standard.