Tottenham Targets Sandro Tonali as De Zerbi Pushes for Transfer

Tottenham Hotspur have moved aggressively into the race for Sandro Tonali – and the midfielder is ready to follow Roberto De Zerbi to north London, even without the lure of European football.

The Newcastle United star, one of the Premier League’s most coveted central midfielders over the past couple of seasons, is now described as “keen” on a switch to Spurs, according to Fabrizio Romano. That stance gives Tottenham a powerful opening, but they are stepping into a negotiation with one of the hardest sellers in the division.

De Zerbi’s Midfield Statement

Spurs have not tiptoed into this window. They have already snapped up Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers and are working on deals for Savinho, Jan Paul van Hecke and Joao Palhinha. Now comes the marquee target: Tonali, the man De Zerbi wants to build his midfield around.

Romano reported that Tottenham have “entered the race” for the Italian, with De Zerbi identifying him as the player to raise the club’s level and front a new, more ambitious project. Manchester City and Arsenal are also in the frame, but Spurs believe they can make a compelling case.

The key? The manager.

De Zerbi and Tonali share more than nationality. They share Brescia. Same city, same footballing roots, a familiarity that cuts deeper than a standard Italian connection. Romano describes the bond as “excellent” and says De Zerbi is pushing hard inside the club to bring Tonali in “as soon as possible”.

This is not a scouting whim. It is a manager staking his project on a specific profile: a technical leader at the heart of the pitch.

Tonali’s Stance: No Europe, No Problem

Tottenham’s season was bruising. No European football. Questions over direction. Yet Tonali, by Romano’s account, is not flinching.

“My understanding is that Tonali is keen on a move to Tottenham,” Romano said, explaining that the midfielder is “open” to joining and “ready to join Spurs even without European football, even after a terrible season for them”.

The attraction lies in the project and the coach. Tonali wants to play for De Zerbi, and that personal pull has turned the idea of a move to Spurs from speculative to “really serious” and “really concrete”.

For a club often accused of hesitating in big windows, Tottenham now have a willing elite target and a manager pushing relentlessly behind the scenes. The intent is clear: sign a “top player, top name in midfield” and reshape the spine of the team.

Newcastle Name Their Price

Intent, though, is one thing. Dealing with Newcastle United is another.

Newcastle have already eased some financial pressure by selling Anthony Gordon. That sale means they are under less obligation to cash in on Tonali, and they know exactly what they have: a prime-age midfielder with proven Premier League impact and a long list of admirers.

TEAMtalk report that Newcastle have “no intention of making it easy” for any club pursuing Tonali. Their stance is blunt. They will only start to consider a sale if offers climb beyond £100 million.

That figure is not a negotiating whisper. It is a barrier. A message to Tottenham, Manchester City, Arsenal and anyone else circling that Tonali will only leave on Newcastle’s terms, at a price that reflects both his status and their determination to keep him.

Romano echoed the difficulty, stressing that “it is never easy to strike a deal with Newcastle”, even as he underlined that Spurs “will be on it”.

A Test of Spurs’ New Ambition

So the scene is set.

Tottenham have a manager with a clear target and a personal link. They have a player who is ready to come, prepared to sacrifice European football to work under De Zerbi. They have already moved early in the market and spoken loudly about ambition.

Across the table sits a club that has just banked a major sale, is under no rush to lose another star, and has planted a nine-figure flag in the ground.

If Spurs truly want to prove that this project is different – that De Zerbi will be backed not just in words but in hard cash – Tonali is the test case.

Is this the summer Tottenham finally pay the price that turns intent into a genuine power shift, or does Tonali’s name become another reminder of how far they still have to go?