Tottenham Eyes Sandro Tonali as Key Midfield Target

Tottenham have fixed their gaze on Sandro Tonali, and they are not looking away.

The Newcastle midfielder has emerged as a leading target for Roberto De Zerbi this summer, a statement piece for a manager intent on reshaping a squad that only just dragged itself clear of the relegation trapdoor last season. De Zerbi wants a side that can live with his ideas on the ball. Tonali, in his eyes, is the conductor he lacks.

De Zerbi’s blueprint meets a £100m market

One of Tottenham’s core aims in this window is blunt: raise the technical ceiling of the team. They want a central midfielder who can slow the game, speed it up, and bend it to his rhythm. Tonali fits that profile as neatly as any player in the Premier League.

The Italian coach is expected to wield serious influence over recruitment, and a move for Tonali would underline that the club are prepared to follow his lead and spend heavily to do it. This is not tinkering at the edges; this is building the team around a specific style.

There is a problem, and it sits firmly on Tyneside. Newcastle do not want to lose Tonali. He signed a new contract in 2024, during his 10‑month gambling ban, that runs to 2029 and contains no release clause. That gives Newcastle enormous leverage. Any sale will need a huge fee, the kind that makes even Premier League clubs pause.

There has long been a sense that Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento could all be open to a new challenge this summer. Gordon has already gone, prised away by Barcelona in a £69m deal. Tonali is next in line on the wish lists of the elite.

Market squeeze and shifting rivals

Tonali is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the division and has sat near the top of recruitment boards at Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.

Right now, though, the path looks clearer for Spurs than it might have a month ago. City and United have turned their attention elsewhere. City are in talks with Nottingham Forest over Elliot Anderson, a deal expected to sail past £100m in a market where top midfielders are already trading at a premium. United, for their part, have an agreement with Atalanta for Ederson and are now chasing West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.

Those moves change the landscape. If City commit nine figures to Anderson and United lock in Ederson and Fernandes, the scramble for Tonali narrows. The fee will still be vast, Newcastle’s stance still hard, but the crowd around the negotiating table thins.

For Tottenham, that matters.

Spurs’ rebuild gathers pace

The Tonali pursuit is only one part of a broader overhaul that has already begun in north London. Spurs moved early in defence, bringing in centre-back Marcos Senesi and left-back Andy Robertson on free transfers. De Zerbi still wants another defender and the club are pushing for Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke.

Brighton, in turn, have tested Spurs’ resolve with a £30m offer for teenage centre-back Luka Vuskovic. The 19-year-old shone on loan at Hamburg and is keen on a move to the south coast. Tottenham, though, are unlikely to accept the current proposal. A tug-of-war is brewing between two clubs with intersecting transfer lists.

All of this sits under the same umbrella: build a squad that can execute De Zerbi’s football. A deep-lying playmaker is central to that plan. Without one, the system never fully breathes.

Life after Son and the search for goals

Out wide, the problem is just as pressing. Spurs have been hunting for a winger to succeed Heung-Min Son for a year and keep hitting brick walls. Attempts to land Bryan Mbeumo and Antoine Semenyo went nowhere. Manchester City’s Savinho is among the names under consideration now, another nod towards pace and one‑v‑one threat in wide areas.

De Zerbi also wants a forward who can move across the entire front line, not just a penalty-box finisher. With last season’s injury crisis still fresh in the memory, he is pushing for versatility and depth, not just headline signings.

The same uncertainty touches the goalkeeping department. Guglielmo Vicario could yet return to Italy, with Juventus listing him as a potential target and Inter previously tracking him. Antonin Kinsky claimed the No 1 shirt during the run‑in under De Zerbi, but if Vicario leaves, Spurs may have to dip back into the market again.

A defining move?

Strip it back and the summer comes down to a few key questions. Can Tottenham give De Zerbi the technical pivot his football demands? And can they prise that player away from a club that do not want to sell?

Tonali sits at the heart of that dilemma. If Spurs find a way to land him, it will not just be another signing. It will be the clearest sign yet that Tottenham are prepared to pay elite prices to play elite football.