Tonali admits Tottenham is not the club he wants to join ahead of record transfer

Analysis

Suraj Radia | Editor

Sandro Tonali is close to becoming Tottenham’s record signing but the Newcastle star has raised eyebrows by admitting he is already thinking about his next club after Spurs.

Tonali has agreed to join Roberto De Zerbi’s side for a fee of £100 million (€116m) including add-ons, with £92.5m (€108m) being paid up front.

Tottenham have pulled off a major coup in signing a player who many believed would be signing for a Champions League side, having been offered to the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City throughout the course of the year.

However, Tottenham were the only team willing to meet Newcastle’s asking price and they closed negotiations on a six-year contract, with the deal due for completion imminently.

Tonali flew to the UK for a medical but not before making a curious comment over his desire to one day return to former club Milan after being asked about Paolo Maldini’s potential arrival as the new technical director for the Italian national team.

"We haven't spoken yet, but it would be a great feeling to work with [Maldini] again,” Tonali said. "It's always been difficult. There's never been an opportunity to return to Italy. Is it my dream to return to Milan one day? We always joke about it, but I think if the opportunity arises one day, we'll talk about it seriously."

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Tonali leaves Newcastle after three years at the club, although his first campaign was prematurely ended with just eight Premier League appearances after the 26-year-old received a ten-month ban for betting offences.

The situation led to a difficult period for Tonali where he struggled mentally before taking the time out to learn English and acclimatise to life in the North East, with the Italian regularly expressing his appreciation for the way Newcastle and the city helped him recover.

Tonali returned from his ban in August 2024 in inspired form by becoming an ever-present in Eddie Howe’s team and helping Newcastle win their first domestic trophy in 70 years, as well as qualifying for the Champions League.

However, his final season was marred somewhat by mixed form and repeated proclamations from the player’s agent about wanting to leave Newcastle in the summer, having publicly offered the midfielder to Arsenal during the January transfer window.

There were also plenty of noises about Tonali’s desire to return to Milan, having reluctantly left his boyhood club to join the Magpies after they made a €60m offer that made him the most expensive Italian player in history.

It has been abundantly clear during Tonali’s time at Newcastle that he is tied to his roots and he admitted that De Zerbi’s presence at Tottenham was crucial to his decision to join the club, with them both being born in Brescia.

Tonali’s admission that he would jump at the chance to return to Milan gives Tottenham a glimpse of the player’s mindset that he has displayed throughout his career, having not made more than 100 league appearances for any of his clubs before moving onto the next.

Although Tottenham are determined to restore their reputation among the Premier League elite by splashing the cash on Tonali and fellow €100m signing Mateus Fernandes, they could find themselves being used by a stepping stone if they fail to provide their new stars with regular Champions League football.

For now, Tottenham will be thrilled about arguably the most high-profile signing in the club’s history but the pressure will be on to keep Tonali satisfied and silence his Milanista ambitions once and for all.