Tottenham move for Sandro Tonali: De Zerbi wants the midfielder around whom he would build a new team
Tottenham Hotspur have entered the race for Sandro Tonali, the Italian international and one of Newcastle United’s most important midfielders, whose name has been mentioned increasingly often in recent months in the context of major Premier League clubs. According to a Sky Sports report published on 16 June 2026, Tonali is among the main targets of new Tottenham coach Roberto De Zerbi, who, after a dramatic end to the season, wants to change the team’s technical profile and find a player capable of dictating the rhythm in midfield. The same source states that Newcastle do not want to lose the 26-year-old midfielder and would consider a sale only in the event of an exceptionally high offer.
Tottenham’s interest is particularly interesting because Tonali had already previously been linked with Arsenal, Manchester City and other clubs from the top of English football. Football Italia, citing Italian journalist Matteo Moretto, writes that Tottenham have entered the race "strongly" and would like to give Tonali a central role in the new project. According to the same report, De Zerbi is personally pushing the idea of his arrival, and the Italian midfielder is reportedly open to the possibility of moving to north London. At this stage, however, there is no official confirmation that the clubs have agreed a fee, nor has it been reported that Newcastle have accepted a negotiating framework.
De Zerbi’s Tottenham are looking for a midfielder who changes the structure of play
In March 2026, Tottenham officially confirmed the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi as head coach, with an announcement that the Italian specialist had signed a long-term contract. The club at the time highlighted his recognisable idea of possession-based, attacking football and the ambition to gradually return the team towards the upper part of the Premier League. De Zerbi emphasised in the club statement that he was attracted by the ambition of Tottenham’s leadership, while sporting director Johan Lange said that the Italian had been the club’s first target for the summer and a coach with experience at the highest level.
In such a context, Tonali fits as a player who could be more than a usual reinforcement. Sky Sports states that one of Tottenham’s main summer tasks is to increase the technical quality of the squad and bring in a midfielder who can lead the play. Tonali is exactly the profile of footballer who combines work without the ball, aggression in duels, security in distribution and the ability to connect defence with attack from a deeper position. For De Zerbi, whose teams traditionally rely on brave build-up play and precise positioning in midfield, such a player can be a tactical backbone, not merely part of the rotation.
Tottenham’s interest also carries a symbolic message. The club finished the 2025/26 season only in 17th place in the Premier League, with 41 points from 38 matches, official competition data show. Although relegation was avoided, the finish raised questions about the depth of the squad, the balance of the team and the club’s ability to quickly reverse the trend. The arrival of a midfielder of Tonali’s profile would be a signal that Tottenham do not want to be satisfied with mere stabilisation, but that around the new coach they are trying to build a clearer identity and a more competitive team.
Newcastle have a strong negotiating position
The biggest obstacle for Tottenham is not only competition from other clubs, but also the player’s contractual situation. Sky Sports reported in January 2026 that Tonali’s contract with Newcastle had been extended until the summer of 2029, with a club option for one more season. In a later report on Tottenham’s interest, the same media outlet states that there is no release clause in the contract, which gives Newcastle an extremely firm negotiating position. That means an interested club cannot simply activate a predetermined amount, but must convince Newcastle with an offer that the management at St. James’ Park considers large enough.
Newcastle brought Tonali from Milan in July 2023. The club announced at the time that he was an Italian international who had signed a contract after arriving from Serie A, while English media described the transfer as one of the club’s most important deals at that stage of development. Tonali arrived in England with the reputation of one of the most highly regarded young Italian midfielders, after spells at Brescia and Milan, where he was part of the team that won Serie A and played in the latter stages of the Champions League. His arrival at Newcastle was conceived as a long-term investment in midfield, not as a short-term market opportunity.
Although Newcastle finished the 2025/26 season in 12th place in the Premier League with 49 points, which according to the official table was not enough for a return to European competitions through the league, the club are under no pressure to sell Tonali at a reduced price. The contract until 2029 and the absence of a clause mean that any potential transfer would have to be the result of a political, sporting and financial decision by the club. Sky Sports states that Newcastle do not want to lose the midfielder and would consider only a huge fee, which puts Tottenham in a demanding negotiating position from the very start of a potential deal.
Why Tonali is so sought after
Tonali is not the type of midfielder who attracts interest solely through goals and assists. His value lies in controlling space, the tempo of passing, defensive reading of the game and the ability to give a team structure in phases when the opponent’s pressure is at its highest. In the Premier League, where transitions happen at great speed, such a player often determines whether a team will attack in an organised way or too often fall apart between the lines. That is exactly why his name is logically linked with coaches who want more dominant possession and better control of matches.
For Tottenham, who conceded 57 goals in the Premier League last season, according to the official competition table, the midfield question is not separate from defensive problems. De Zerbi’s style requires brave outlet lines, but also players who know how to recognise when to slow the game down, when to switch the side and when to close space after losing the ball. In that sense, Tonali could bring a combination of energy and tactical discipline, especially if Tottenham were to build a more stable block and a clearer hierarchy in midfield alongside him.
His Italian context is also not unimportant. Football Italia recalls that both De Zerbi and Tonali are linked with Lombardy: Tonali was born in Lodi and grew up football-wise through Brescia, while De Zerbi was born in Brescia and went through Milan’s academy. Such biographical links do not decide transfers by themselves, but they can help in communication between coach and player, especially when a coach wants to convince a reinforcement that he is offering him a central role. According to the available reports, precisely the idea that Tonali would be one of the pillars of the project is an important part of Tottenham’s intention.
Competition from the Premier League further complicates the deal
Tottenham, according to the reports so far, are not alone in the story. Football Italia states that Manchester City and Manchester United have shown interest, while Arsenal have also been mentioned in the context of Tonali. Sky Sports, in its latest report, focuses on Tottenham’s intention and De Zerbi’s desire, but the very fact that several Premier League clubs are being mentioned around the same player shows why the deal could become expensive and long-lasting. If a bidding contest develops, Newcastle could raise their demands further or simply refuse a sale if they assess that they cannot find an appropriate replacement.
Arsenal and Manchester City, from their current position, have arguments that Tottenham currently do not. According to the official Premier League table for the 2025/26 season, Arsenal finished as champions with 85 points, and Manchester City second with 78 points. Such a sporting context is potentially important for any player considering the next step in his career, because it brings competitive stability, a fight for trophies and the Champions League. Tottenham, on the other hand, can offer a central role in rebuilding the team, a well-known coach and the possibility that Tonali becomes the face of a new cycle, but they would have to make up for the lack of European football with a strong sporting and financial package.
That is precisely why the transfer does not depend only on whether De Zerbi wants the player. Tonali’s ambitions, Newcastle’s valuation, Tottenham’s budget and the plans of competing clubs need to be aligned. If Arsenal or Manchester City decide to get concretely involved, Tottenham could face a race in which the coach’s desire alone will be insufficient. If, however, Tonali is convinced that at Spurs he would have the status around which the team is being built, Tottenham could gain an argument that is not exclusively tied to the table and current European status.
A career marked by a major rise, but also by a difficult interruption
Tonali’s path in England has not been linear. After arriving from Milan to Newcastle in 2023, a ten-month suspension connected with breaches of betting rules soon followed. The Premier League announced in October 2023 that Newcastle had confirmed the sanction imposed by the Italian Football Federation, with worldwide application after FIFA confirmation, and that the player was expected to regain eligibility to play on 27 August 2024. The statement also said that the sanction included a therapeutic plan and an educational programme, which was an important part of the wider process.
Newcastle publicly stood by the player during that period, and Sky Sports later reported that the contract extension had been agreed during the suspension, partly to protect the club’s position, but also as a sign of mutual trust. That fact today has great market weight. Tonali is not only a player with a long contract, but a footballer in whom Newcastle invested sporting, financial and institutional trust at a moment when he could not play. For that reason, any eventual sale would require convincing reasons, not merely a standard summer offer.
For the player himself, interest from Tottenham and other clubs confirms that after the suspension he returned to the elite circle of Premier League midfielders. His reputation did not disappear because of the interruption to his career, but every conversation about the future also carries the wider context of professional recovery. At Newcastle he received space for a return and continuity, while a change of club would mean new pressure, a new tactical environment and the expectation that he immediately becomes one of the main players. That is a sporting challenge, but also a decision that must be carefully weighed.
What the transfer would mean for Tottenham and Newcastle
For Tottenham, Tonali’s arrival would be the clearest sign that De Zerbi is receiving real support for the reconstruction of the team. A club that finished the season just above the relegation zone cannot rely only on cosmetic changes, especially if it wants to quickly change perception and playing dynamics. Bringing in a midfielder who can lead possession, press the opponent and connect the lines would be an investment in the identity of play. At the same time, it would be a high-risk move, because the price would probably be such that it would significantly shape the rest of the transfer window.
For Newcastle, the sale of Tonali would open a completely different question. The club would gain great financial space, but would lose a player who, according to current reports, remains an important part of the sporting plan. Replacing such a profile on the market is not simple, especially when selling clubs know that the buyer has money from a major outgoing transfer. Newcastle would therefore have to assess whether any eventual offer is large enough to compensate for the loss of quality, status and long-term value that Tonali represents.
At present, the most precise thing to say is that Tottenham have serious interest, that De Zerbi sees Tonali as the ideal leader of the midfield and that Newcastle hold the key cards in negotiations. There is no official confirmation of the transfer, and according to the available information it has not been reported that Newcastle have accepted any offer. The summer transfer window could show whether this is an ambitious attempt that will remain at the level of interest or a deal that would change the picture of Tottenham’s project under De Zerbi.
Sources:
- Sky Sports – report on Tottenham’s interest in Sandro Tonali, the role of Roberto De Zerbi, the contractual situation and Newcastle’s stance (link)
- Football Italia – report on Matteo Moretto’s claims, Tottenham’s interest, competition from the Premier League and Tonali’s openness to a possible transfer (link)
- Tottenham Hotspur – official announcement on the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as head coach (link)
- Sky Sports – report on Tonali’s contract extension with Newcastle until 2029, with the option of an additional season (link)
- Premier League – official table for the 2025/26 season used for the context of the placings of Tottenham, Newcastle, Arsenal and Manchester City (link)
- Newcastle United – official announcement on the arrival of Sandro Tonali from Milan in 2023 (link)
- Premier League – announcement on Sandro Tonali’s ten-month suspension for breaching betting rules (link)