Tottenham talks with Tonali’s representatives, Newcastle currently keeps the price at an extremely high level
Tottenham Hotspur has entered one of the most ambitious transfer stories at the start of the summer transfer window: according to a report by The Times, the London club is holding talks with the representatives of Sandro Tonali, the Italian midfielder of Newcastle United, whom new coach Roberto De Zerbi sees as a player around whom a stronger and more stable midfield could be built. At this stage, however, there is no agreement between the clubs, nor has it been officially confirmed that Tottenham has sent Newcastle a formal offer. According to the same information, Newcastle values Tonali very highly, with English media mentioning a figure of up to 100 million pounds. Such an opening position shows that any potential deal will be complex, expensive and dependent on whether Tottenham can convince both the player and the club that has him under contract.
Tottenham’s interest comes at a moment when the club is trying to send a clear message after an extremely difficult Premier League season. According to the official Premier League table for the 2025/26 season, Tottenham finished the competition in 17th place with 41 points, just above the relegation zone, while Newcastle finished 12th with 49 points. For De Zerbi, who according to Tottenham’s official announcement was appointed head coach on 31 March 2026, the coming summer represents the first opportunity to shape the squad more seriously according to his own ideas. In that context, Tonali fits as a profile of midfielder who can connect build-up play, the rhythm of possession and intensity without the ball.
According to the available information, the talks being conducted by Tottenham currently relate primarily to Tonali’s side and the player’s possible terms, and not to the final phase of club negotiations. That is an important distinction because a transfer of such value cannot be completed without a direct agreement between Tottenham and Newcastle. In English football, especially among Premier League clubs, the price often increases further when it involves a proven player, a long contract and a sale to a direct league rival. Tonali is under contract with Newcastle until 2028, according to the club’s and Premier League’s announcements from the time of his arrival from Milan, which gives Newcastle a strong negotiating position.
De Zerbi is looking for a midfielder who can immediately change the level of the team
Roberto De Zerbi has built a recognizable style of play in his coaching career so far, based on control of rhythm, brave progression from the back line and midfielders capable of playing under pressure. For that reason, it is not surprising that Tottenham is now being linked precisely with Tonali, a player who in Italy, before moving to the Premier League, gained a reputation as a playmaker with pronounced tactical discipline. At Newcastle, his role was different from the one he had in Serie A, but he retained his importance in the middle of the pitch because of his work rate, ball-winning ability and vertical passing. For a club that finished the season just above the relegation zone, such a profile could mean an attempt to raise the team’s level quickly, not only a gradual renewal of the squad.
The Times reported that Tonali has been identified as one of the major reinforcements with which Tottenham would like to demonstrate ambition in De Zerbi’s project. Sky Sports also reported that Tottenham has entered the race for the Italian, emphasizing that Newcastle would demand an extremely strong offer to part ways. Such wording does not mean that the transfer is close, but rather that, at an early stage of the transfer window, the conditions under which a deal could become feasible at all are being tested. In football practice, this often includes talks with agents, an assessment of salary, the sporting plan and the player’s willingness to change surroundings before the clubs enter official negotiations.
For Tottenham, signing Tonali would also carry symbolic weight. A club that finished the 2025/26 season in 17th place must convince fans, players and the market that it is not content with mere survival in the league, but is planning a faster return toward the upper part of the standings. A major investment in a midfielder already established in the Premier League could be interpreted as an attempt to immediately give De Zerbi’s mandate a clear sporting axis. At the same time, such a move would raise questions about the breadth of the budget, priorities in the other lines of the team and possible player departures in order to balance the squad.
Newcastle has the contract, time and a high opening price
Newcastle brought Tonali from AC Milan in July 2023, and the club’s official announcement at the time emphasized that the Italian international had signed a contract until 2028. The Premier League simultaneously announced that Tonali had arrived as Newcastle’s first signing of that summer, while British media at the time estimated the value of the transfer at more than 50 million pounds. Since this is a player who is still in his prime years, Newcastle is under no immediate contractual pressure to sell him at a lower price. That is precisely why the mention of a figure of up to 100 million pounds should be seen as a message to the market that any interested club will have to offer an amount Newcastle considers sufficiently convincing.
The negotiating context is further complicated by the position of both clubs. Newcastle finished the season ahead of Tottenham, but outside the places leading to the Champions League, according to the official Premier League table. That can affect squad planning and financial strategy, but it does not automatically mean that the club must sell its best players. Tottenham, on the other hand, must prove that the sporting project is attractive enough for a player who is also being linked with other big clubs. According to reports by British media, interest in Tonali does not come only from north London, which makes Spurs’ negotiating position more difficult.
By potentially selling Tonali, Newcastle could make a significant profit compared with the amount invested in 2023, but such a decision would also carry a sporting cost. The Italian was brought in as a player to raise the quality of the midfield and to strengthen the team in the long term. A sale within the Premier League, especially to a club that wants to return to the fight for European places, always carries an additional risk because the player can directly strengthen a competitor. For that reason, in deals of this kind a premium is often demanded that exceeds the estimated market value, especially when the buyer does not have many alternative targets of the same profile.
Tonali’s career: from Milan to Newcastle and return after suspension
Sandro Tonali first gained the status in European football of one of the most highly regarded Italian midfielders of his generation, and at Milan he was part of the team that won the Italian league title in the 2021/22 season, according to AC Milan’s club review of that championship season. His arrival at Newcastle in 2023 was presented as a major reinforcement for a club that was at that time building a team for appearances at a higher European level. In its official announcement, Newcastle emphasized Tonali’s international experience, quality and potential for further development in the Premier League. That is precisely why Newcastle’s current valuation reflects not only his present value, but also the fact that the club believes the loss of such a player would have to be compensated by an exceptionally large fee.
His stay in England was also marked by a suspension for breaching betting rules. According to the English Football Association’s announcement from May 2024, an independent regulatory commission imposed on him a two-month suspension, conditionally suspended until the end of the 2024/25 season, a fine of 20,000 pounds and a warning, after he admitted 50 breaches of the FA’s betting rules between 12 August and 12 October 2023. That procedure followed an earlier sanction from Italy, because of which Tonali had already been out of competitive football. In reporting on a possible transfer, that episode cannot be ignored, but according to the available information it currently does not represent an obstacle to his playing or moving clubs.
For clubs considering an investment of several tens of millions of pounds, Tonali’s case has two levels of assessment. The first is sporting and relates to whether the player can immediately bring stability, tempo and quality to midfield. The second is a broader assessment of risk, reputation and the player’s personal environment, especially after a publicly documented disciplinary procedure. The interest shown by clubs so far indicates that the market still perceives him as a player of the highest level, but also that every potential buyer will analyze his situation in detail before making a final decision.
Tottenham must convince both the player and the market
Tottenham’s pursuit of Tonali is not taking place in a vacuum. The club enters the transfer window after a season in which it barely avoided relegation, and that affects perceptions of the sporting project. Although Roberto De Zerbi’s name carries a certain weight because of the style of play he developed at previous clubs, Tottenham must show that it can quickly build a competitive team. Players of Tonali’s level usually do not decide only according to the size of the contract, but also according to their role in the team, European ambitions, the stability of the coaching plan and the quality of teammates.
If Tonali truly becomes Tottenham’s priority, the club will have to align several elements. The first is Newcastle’s price, which according to current reports remains very high. The second is competition from other clubs, because the Italian is being linked with several Premier League giants. The third is the sporting logic of the player himself: a move from Newcastle to Tottenham, after Newcastle finished the season ahead of Spurs, would have to be presented as a step toward a bigger role and a clearer project. Without that, Tottenham would struggle to gain an advantage over clubs that offer a more stable position near the top of the table or European competitions.
For De Zerbi, Tonali could be more than a single major transfer. He could become the player who sets the tone in midfield, accelerates the escape from pressure and gives the team the ability to control matches for longer periods. Tottenham was often in a situation last season in which results did not follow the club’s ambitions, so strengthening the midfield would be a logical starting point for renewal. Still, if Newcastle sticks to a valuation close to 100 million pounds, Spurs will have to assess whether it is worth tying so many resources to one player or whether the same amount could be distributed across several positions.
A major deal is possible only after direct club negotiations
The current phase of the story can most accurately be described as interest and testing the ground, not as a transfer nearing completion. According to the available reports, Tottenham is holding talks with people close to Tonali, but an agreement with Newcastle has not been reached. That means the situation could develop in several directions: Tottenham can increase the pressure and open formal negotiations, Newcastle can stick to a very high price, and other interested clubs can change the dynamics if they send more serious signals. In such an environment, early talks often also serve as a way of testing the market.
For Newcastle, the advantage is clear: it has the player under contract, it has no need to accept the first expression of interest and it can wait to see whether a bidding contest develops. For Tottenham, the challenge is different: if De Zerbi considers Tonali the ideal signing, the club will have to show determination before the race becomes even more complicated. At the same time, any offer close to the figures being mentioned in the English media would have to be one of the most important decisions of Tottenham’s summer. Such a transfer would not be merely the purchase of a midfielder, but also a public statement that the club wants to aggressively change direction after a season spent on the brink of relegation.
At this moment, the most firmly confirmed facts remain that Tottenham is interested, that talks are being held at the level of Tonali’s representatives, that an agreement between the clubs has not been reached and that Newcastle, according to English reports, is demanding an extremely high fee. Everything else will depend on Tottenham’s willingness to financially match its ambition, on Newcastle’s assessment of its own needs and on Tonali’s decision whether he wants to change surroundings this summer. As the transfer window gathers momentum, precisely those three elements will decide whether one of the most high-profile rumors will turn into a concrete deal.
Sources:
- The Times – report on Tottenham’s talks with Sandro Tonali’s representatives, Newcastle’s valuation of the fee and Roberto De Zerbi’s role (link)
- Sky Sports – reporting of current information from the transfer centre on Tottenham’s interest in Tonali (link)
- Tottenham Hotspur – official announcement on the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi as head coach of the men’s team (link)
- Premier League – official Premier League table for the 2025/26 season and data on Tottenham’s and Newcastle’s positions (link)
- Newcastle United – official announcement on Sandro Tonali’s arrival from AC Milan and the duration of the contract (link)
- AC Milan – club review of the 2021/22 season in which Milan won the Italian league title (link)
- The Football Association – official decision on the sanction against Sandro Tonali for breaching betting rules (link)