Tottenham Hotspur have smashed their transfer record for the second time in a week, agreeing a deal worth up to £100m with Newcastle United for midfielder Sandro Tonali. The fee, which includes an initial £92.5m plus £7.5m in add-ons, follows Thursday’s £85m capture of West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes and underlines the aggressive intent of manager Roberto De Zerbi.
A previous bid of about £80m had been rejected by Newcastle, but Spurs returned with an improved offer that the Italian’s former club could not refuse. De Zerbi, a long-time admirer of his compatriot, identified Tonali as a target during his time at Sassuolo several years ago. “My target is to start the pre-season with the team I have in my dream,” De Zerbi said at the end of last season. That dream is rapidly materialising.
“Tottenham agree £100m deal for Newcastle's Sandro Tonali, breaking transfer record for second time this week.”
Tonali joined Newcastle from AC Milan for £55m in July 2023, but was soon banned for 10 months by the Italian Football Federation for breaching betting rules. After returning, he helped Newcastle win the 2025 Carabao Cup – their first major domestic trophy in 70 years – and later played a key role in Champions League qualification. Manchester City and Arsenal had shown interest but made no formal approach.
For Newcastle, the departure of Tonali follows that of Anthony Gordon, who joined Barcelona for £69.3m, and Alexander Isak earlier. The club have been searching for a replacement wide player and are making positive progress in talks to sign Hoffenheim’s 20-year-old Ivory Coast winger Bazoumana Toure. So far this summer, only 20-year-old goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen has arrived. The spotlight now falls on incomings as Newcastle look to reinvest.
Spurs, despite finishing 17th in back-to-back seasons, are benefiting from strong off-field revenues. Alongside Fernandes and Tonali, they have added Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers and could spend a combined £237m on centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke and the two midfielders. De Zerbi’s rebuild is gathering pace, while Newcastle face a sobering reality of selling stars and rebuilding on the fly.