Tottenham Hotspur are set to break their transfer record for the second time this week, agreeing a deal worth up to £100m with Newcastle United for midfielder Sandro Tonali. The Italian will join for an initial £92.5m plus £7.5m in add-ons, topping the £85m agreement struck with West Ham for Mateus Fernandes just days ago.
Tonali's move to north London follows a turbulent two years on Tyneside. The 26-year-old joined Newcastle from AC Milan for £55m in July 2023, only to be banned for 10 months by the Italian Football Federation for breaching betting rules shortly after his arrival. He returned to help the club win their first major domestic trophy in 70 years — the 2025 Carabao Cup — and then qualify for the Champions League.
“Tottenham agree £100m deal for Sandro Tonali as Newcastle sell another star amid financial pressures.”
But Newcastle have been forced into a fire sale. Alexander Isak pushed to join Liverpool for a British record £125m last summer, and Anthony Gordon completed a £69m switch to Barcelona before the window even opened. The departures come after a 12th-placed Premier League finish last season and amid strict financial regulations. Newcastle made clear this week they were “committed to full ongoing compliance” as part of a settlement with Uefa following a breach of its financial sustainability rules. The club had previously flagged that they made only £12m profit on player sales in the previous three-year cycle, compared to an average of £156m among the Premier League's six highest-earning clubs.
Spurs, meanwhile, have spent aggressively despite finishing 17th in back-to-back seasons. Manager Roberto de Zerbi, a long-time admirer of Tonali from his time at Sassuolo, said in his final news conference last season: “My target is to start the pre-season with the team I have in my dream.” That dream is taking shape, with defenders Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi arriving on free transfers and the club potentially spending £237m in total on centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke and midfielders Fernandes and Tonali.
Newcastle have yet to replace Gordon. They are making progress on a deal for Hoffenheim's 20-year-old Ivory Coast winger Bazoumana Toure, but have so far only signed 20-year-old goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen this summer. The spotlight will be firmly on incomings at St James' Park as the club adjust to life without their star names.