Tottenham's audacious opening bid of about £80m for Sandro Tonali has been swiftly rejected by Newcastle, who are demanding a fee closer to £100m for the Italy international. The offer, turned down earlier this week, marked an unprecedented move for a club whose previous record signing was the £65m deal for Dominic Solanke. But Newcastle's chief executive, David Hopkinson, has made clear they will only trade players on "our terms". Tonali, who signed a new deal during his 10-month betting ban effectively keeping him at St James' Park until 2030, is now keen to explore his options this summer, according to the Daily Mail. Manchester City and Arsenal are monitoring developments, potentially sparking a bidding war that could drive the price beyond £100m.
Tonali would rather join Arsenal than Tottenham, reports the Daily Mail, but the Gunners are yet to formalise their interest. Meanwhile, Spurs have already spent £52m on Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke and signed Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers as part of a summer overhaul. They are also prepared to offer players in a swap deal for Tonali, with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and midfielder Lucas Bergvall among those who could head to Newcastle. Bergvall, 20, has informed Tottenham of his desire to leave this summer after slipping down the pecking order under Roberto De Zerbi.
“Spurs' £80m bid for Sandro Tonali rejected; Newcastle demand £100m.”
Elsewhere in the market, Manchester United's Marcus Rashford is prepared to take a pay cut to join Tottenham for £40m after his Barcelona loan, the i paper reports. Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers is keen on a move to Arsenal, with the Premier League champions making the 23-year-old a top target, according to Talksport. Barcelona have made a surprise approach for Bayern Munich's Harry Kane, while Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah is wanted by Como boss Cesc Fabregas. Brighton are closing in on Venezia's Michael Svoboda, and Leeds are finalising a deal for Southampton's Shea Charles.
Newcastle's rejection of Spurs' bid signals a clear stance: they will not be bullied into selling their star midfielder. With the current market valuing midfielders highly — Manchester City had a £120m bid for Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson rejected — the Magpies are in a strong position to command a record fee.