Tottenham Targets Tonali as Key Midfield Signing
Tottenham are aiming high this summer. Right at the top of Roberto De Zerbi’s wishlist sits Sandro Tonali, the Newcastle midfielder earmarked as the man to reshape the heart of Spurs’ team.
De Zerbi, having steered Spurs away from the relegation trapdoor, now wants a side that can actually play his football, not just survive. That means a controller in midfield, someone who can slow a game down, speed it up, and bend it to his will. Inside the club, that description keeps circling back to one name: Tonali.
De Zerbi’s blueprint meets a costly reality
Tottenham’s hierarchy have made it clear they are ready to back their new head coach. Tonali is the clearest test of that promise yet.
The Italy international, under contract at Newcastle until 2029, will not come cheap. Newcastle do not want to lose him and will only even listen for a huge fee. There is no release clause in the deal he signed in 2024 while serving a 10‑month gambling ban, a detail that hands Newcastle significant leverage in any negotiation.
That is the financial landscape Spurs are walking into. The football case is far simpler. Tonali is widely viewed as one of the Premier League’s standout midfielders, a player who has long sat near the top of recruitment lists at Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Right now, that competition has thinned. City and United have moved their focus elsewhere, leaving Spurs with a rare window.
Market squeeze and shifting rivals
The midfield market this summer is brutal. Prices are spiking, and every big move seems to inflate the next one.
Manchester City are deep in talks with Nottingham Forest over Elliot Anderson in a deal expected to climb beyond £100m. That sort of fee does not just set a benchmark; it distorts it. Clubs holding elite midfielders know exactly what the going rate looks like now, and Tonali falls firmly in that bracket.
United, meanwhile, have agreed a deal with Atalanta for Ederson and are chasing West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes. Arsenal’s interest in Tonali has been long-standing, but the north London battle for his signature currently feels one-sided: Spurs are the ones actively pushing.
Newcastle, for their part, are braced. Sky Sports News reported in April that Tonali, along with Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento, could be open to a new challenge this summer. Gordon has already taken that leap, swapping Tyneside for Barcelona in a £69m move. Tonali may be next in line, but only if someone pays a price that forces Newcastle to think twice.
Spurs’ rebuild: from survival to identity
Tottenham have wasted no time reshaping the squad around De Zerbi’s ideas.
Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson have arrived on free transfers, bolstering the back line with experience and technical quality. Another defender is on the agenda, with Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke firmly in Spurs’ sights.
At the same time, Brighton are trying to raid Spurs. They have lodged a £30m bid for teenage centre-back Luka Vuskovic, the 19‑year‑old who impressed on loan at Hamburg and is keen on the move. Spurs, though, are unlikely to accept the current offer, aware they may have one of Europe’s most promising young defenders on their hands.
All of this sits beneath a larger tactical shift. De Zerbi wants a team that can dominate the ball, draw opponents in, and then slice through them. To do that in the Premier League, you need a midfielder who can dictate play under pressure. That is the role Spurs have ring‑fenced for Tonali.
Replacing Son, covering injuries, guarding the goal
The rebuild does not stop in midfield.
Tottenham have been hunting for a winger capable of taking on the Heung‑Min Son mantle for a year, without success. Attempts to land Bryan Mbeumo and Antoine Semenyo have failed. Manchester City’s Savinho is now among the names on their list, a possible solution to the creativity and goals they risk losing when Son is absent or eventually moves on.
De Zerbi also wants another striker, ideally someone versatile enough to operate across the front line. After last season’s injury crisis, he is determined not to be left short again. Flexibility in attack is no longer a luxury; it is a requirement.
Even the goalkeeping position is under review. Guglielmo Vicario could return to Italy, with Juventus monitoring him as they weigh up a move, and Inter previously showing interest. Antonin Kinsky finished the season as De Zerbi’s No 1, but if Vicario leaves, Spurs will almost certainly dip back into the market for another goalkeeper.
A statement or a missed moment?
Strip it all back and Tonali sits at the centre of Spurs’ summer. Land him, and Tottenham send a message: De Zerbi will not just be asked to work miracles with what he has; he will be given the tools to build something of his own.
Fail to get him, and Spurs may find themselves scrambling in a market where every alternative already looks more expensive by the day.
Newcastle hold the cards. Tottenham have the need. De Zerbi has the plan. The only question now is whether Spurs are prepared to pay the kind of fee that turns a bold idea into the defining signing of their new era.
