Tottenham's Ambitious Pursuit of Sandro Tonali

Tottenham have set their sights high this summer. Right at the top of Roberto De Zerbi’s wishlist sits Sandro Tonali – and prising him out of Newcastle would be as bold a statement as the club has made in years.

This is not a speculative name on a long list. For De Zerbi, Tonali is the fulcrum he wants to build around: a midfielder who can slow the game to his rhythm, then rip it open with a single pass. After dragging Spurs away from the relegation trapdoor, the Italian has been handed the keys to the rebuild, and his first major demand is clear – give me someone who can dictate.

De Zerbi’s midfield cornerstone

Spurs have made no secret of their priority. They want more technical authority in the middle of the pitch, a player who can control tempo and possession, and Tonali fits that brief almost perfectly. He is already regarded as one of the Premier League’s standout midfielders, the kind of all-round operator who attracts the attention of the league’s elite.

Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United have all tracked him. Their recruitment teams know exactly what he brings. For now, though, their focus has drifted elsewhere. City are deep in talks with Nottingham Forest over Elliot Anderson in a deal expected to surge beyond £100m. United have pushed ahead with a move for Ederson from Atalanta and are chasing West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.

That shift has opened a narrow lane for Spurs. In a market where quality midfielders are being priced like franchise players, Tonali has become the marquee opportunity.

Newcastle’s hard line

Landing him will be anything but straightforward. Newcastle do not want to sell. Tonali signed a new contract in 2024, running to 2029, even as he served a 10‑month gambling ban. That deal contains no release clause, a crucial detail that hands Newcastle a powerful negotiating position.

If they are to even consider it, the fee will be enormous. Internally, the club accept that Tonali – along with Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento – may be open to a new challenge this summer. Gordon has already gone, completing a £69m switch to Barcelona, and that only tightens Newcastle’s stance on the others. Losing a second cornerstone would hurt. It would also have to pay.

For Tottenham, that is precisely the point. A move of this scale would show, unmistakably, that the board intend to back De Zerbi with serious money and real authority over recruitment. This is not a tweak of a squad. It is a reset of the club’s identity.

Early business, bigger ambitions

Spurs have not waited for the window to drift by. They have already moved quickly at the back, snapping up centre-back Marcos Senesi and left-back Andy Robertson on free transfers. Another defender remains on the agenda, with Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke firmly in their sights.

Brighton, for their part, are trying to shop in North London as well. They have tabled a £30m offer for teenage centre-back Luka Vuskovic, fresh from an impressive loan spell at Hamburg that marked him out as one of Europe’s most promising young defenders. The 19-year-old is keen on the move, but Spurs are not inclined to accept the current proposal. With De Zerbi keen to shape his defensive line, Tottenham know the value of controlling Vuskovic’s next step.

All of this sits under a broader plan: build a squad that can execute De Zerbi’s demanding, possession-heavy style. That requires a conductor in midfield. It also requires firepower and width.

Replacing Son and reshaping the attack

Tottenham have been searching for a long-term successor to Heung-Min Son for a year, and the hunt has been anything but smooth. Moves for Bryan Mbeumo and Antoine Semenyo have fallen away. The shortlist now includes Man City’s Savinho, one of the more intriguing wide options on the market.

De Zerbi wants more than just a winger. He is pushing for another striker, someone versatile enough to operate across the entire front line. After an injury-ravaged season that left Spurs stretched and improvising in attack, he wants depth and variety, not just a traditional No 9. The idea is clear: multiple threats, interchangeable positions, constant movement.

A question in goal

There is another potential fault line in the squad. Guglielmo Vicario could yet return to Italy, with Juventus monitoring him as they weigh up their own goalkeeping plans and Inter previously registering interest. If that move gathers pace, Spurs will have to dip back into the market for a No 1.

Antonin Kinsky ended the season as De Zerbi’s preferred choice between the posts, holding the shirt for the run-in, but the manager knows he cannot go into a long campaign with a fragile depth chart in such a crucial position. The goalkeeping situation may quietly become one of the most important subplots of the window.

A defining move

All roads, though, keep leading back to midfield. In a summer when City’s pursuit of Anderson threatens to drag prices even higher across the board, Tottenham are weighing up their own blockbuster. Tonali would not just fill a role; he would define the way De Zerbi’s Spurs play.

Newcastle will resist. The fee will be eye-watering. The negotiations will be brutal.

If Tottenham still go through with it, the message is unmistakable: this is De Zerbi’s project now, and the club are prepared to pay to make his vision real. The only question left is whether they are willing to go as far as it will take.