ANALYSIS: Tottenham ready to spend €115m on Tonali - but will it solve anything?

Updated: 17 Jun 2026 11:24 BST | 5 min read

Sandro Tonali, Newcastle, Tottenham — © IMAGO

Suraj Radia | Editor

Sandro Tonali could become one of the most expensive players in history this summer after Tottenham positioned themselves to sign the Newcastle star for a jaw-dropping fee of more than €115 million.

Article continues under the video

Tonali has been strongly linked to leave St James’ Park during the coming transfer window and Newcastle will demand a significant fee if they are to part ways with one of Eddie Howe’s key players.

Current ETV

Sandro Tonali

DM, M (C)

Newcastle

Sandro Tonali

DM, M (C)

Newcastle

ETV Range

€66.6M - €81.4M

So far, despite tentative interest from the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United, no team has been willing to meet the Newcastle’s asking price, which is believed to be up to £100m (€115.6m) including add-ons.

Enter Tottenham. Roberto De Zerbi’s side are desperate to make a statement signing this summer and the Italian coach is understood to have identified Tonali as his key target, particularly with other teams hesitating over the price.

Positive talks have been held between Spurs and Tonali’s representatives and the club are believed to be preparing an offer of £85m (€98m) plus add-ons, aware that they will need to act quickly and avoid drawn out negotiations with Newcastle to ensure rivals do not attempt to hijack any deal.

However, The Telegraph report that Newcastle are ‘braced’ for bids for Tonali after Tottenham’s interest became public, knowing that they could pull off another impressive sale by holding firm on an astronomical valuation for their Italian maestro.

Sandro Tonali: Will €115m record transfer solve Tottenham’s problems?

Tonali has been a key figure for Newcastle since joining the club for €60m in 2023, although the 26-year-old has only played two full seasons in the North East after serving a ten-month ban for gambling offences soon after his arrival from Milan.

While Tonali’s qualities were emphasised during his comeback campaign that saw Newcastle qualify for the Champions League and end a 70-year trophy drought in 2024/25, the midfielder’s shortcomings were more apparent last season.

STATS

Sandro Tonali

DM, M (C)

Newcastle

Sandro Tonali

DM, M (C)

Newcastle

53

Games
3

Goals
6

Assists

The Italy international played the second-most minutes of any Newcastle player last season as the Magpies finished 12th, with their form – and Tonali’s – falling off a cliff after captain Bruno Guimaraes suffered a two-month injury in February.

Indeed, Tonali’s strengths were best displayed alongside Guimaraes as an unstoppable engine and runner who could allow the Brazilian to thrive with his creative and goalscoring responsibilities, but Newcastle’s midfield struggled to find a rhythm without their skipper.

In Guimaraes’ absence, Tonali became the most technical player in Howe’s midfield but he could not demonstrate the same ability to control the tempo and create chances with defence-splitting passes, while he also ended the season as the Premier League player who had the most shots without scoring.

Tonali’s early promise in Italy saw many comparisons to Andrea Pirlo, but the Newcastle man has always cited Gennaro Gattuso as one of his biggest role models, with his work rate and box-to-box playstyle far superior to his passing and technical game.

There is a notion that the misconception over Tonali’s playstyle has followed him to the Premier League, leading to questions over whether the former Milanista can justify such a lucrative price tag and a role as the most high-profile midfielder in a team.

© IMAGO - Sandro Tonali faces an uncertain future this summer.

While there is certainly justification for Newcastle’s valuation of Tonali – few players in world football boast an all-round skillset like him – Tottenham may find themselves frustrated if they pin their hopes on the potential €115m arrival to solve all their problems after finishing 17th last season.

At a top team like City or Arsenal, Tonali would complement the world-class talent around him and it can be argued that those sides could provide the platform to help elevate his game to a whole new level.

But the lack of movement from either of those teams at this price point is perhaps telling, with City preferring a more dynamic passer in Elliot Anderson, while Arsenal seemingly feel they can get similar value with a pursuit of a player like Manu Kone at half the price.

Tottenham making Tonali their record signing would certainly be a coup in many ways, but it may also represent a worrying deal driven by ambition and overeagerness rather than logical forethought.

Newcastle, certainly, would not lose any sleep if their asking price is quickly met and all eyes will be on Tottenham to prove whether the deal can be worth the outlay or risk further disarray if the protracted transfer backfires.

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

•Google Play

•App Store

Read more about: Premier League Newcastle Tottenham Bruno Guimaraes Sandro Tonali

Written by

Suraj Radia | Editor

Suraj Radia is an NCTJ-qualified journalist and editor with more than a decade of experience at some of the biggest sportsdesks and press agencies across the industry. He has been a regular freelance contributor to FootballTransfers since April 2022.

View full bio