Tottenham Pursue Sandro Tonali for Rebuild
Tottenham have fixed their gaze on Sandro Tonali – and they are not thinking small.
Roberto De Zerbi wants a conductor at the heart of his rebuild, a midfielder who can slow a game to walking pace or rip it open with a single pass. In Tonali, the new Spurs head coach sees the player to anchor his entire project.
De Zerbi’s statement target
Tottenham dodged relegation last season. That escape has shaped everything since. De Zerbi has arrived with a clear brief: raise the technical level of the squad and impose a defined style, not just scramble for survival again.
At the centre of that plan sits a deep-lying playmaker. Someone who can dictate tempo, take the ball under pressure, and give structure to De Zerbi’s possession-heavy game. Inside the club, Tonali has been ringed in red as the perfect fit.
The Italian coach is expected to wield serious influence over recruitment this summer. A successful move for Tonali would be more than a signing; it would be a declaration that Spurs intend to back De Zerbi with hard cash and real quality, not just words.
Newcastle’s hard line
There is a problem. Newcastle do not want to sell.
Tonali is tied to St James’ Park until 2029. His current deal, signed in 2024 while he was serving a 10‑month gambling ban, contains no release clause. That gives Newcastle maximum leverage in a market already tilted towards sellers, especially for elite midfielders.
Any club wanting him will have to pay a huge fee. Newcastle would only even enter the conversation at that level, and internally they remain resistant to losing one of their best players.
There has, though, been a sense of restlessness. Back in April, it emerged that Tonali – along with Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento – might be open to a new challenge this summer. Gordon has already gone, completing a £69m move to Barcelona. That deal underlined both Newcastle’s need to balance their books and the level of talent now in play.
Tonali sits in that same bracket. He is widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s standout midfielders and has long been tracked by Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Market pressure and the midfield dominoes
Right now, City and United are looking elsewhere.
City are deep in talks with Nottingham Forest for Elliot Anderson, a deal expected to climb beyond £100m in a summer when midfielders are trading at a premium. United, meanwhile, have an agreement with Atalanta for Ederson and are chasing West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes.
Those moves matter. Once a club pays nine figures for a midfielder, every other negotiation shifts. Newcastle’s position on Tonali only hardens. Spurs know they are walking into a market that rewards patience but punishes hesitation.
If Tottenham push ahead, they will be going head-on into one of the most expensive and competitive sectors of this window.
Spurs’ rebuild gathers pace
The pursuit of Tonali sits within a broader overhaul already underway in north London.
Tottenham have moved quickly at the back, snapping up centre-back Marcos Senesi and left-back Andy Robertson on free transfers. De Zerbi still wants another defender and the club are actively chasing Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke.
That interest runs both ways. Brighton have come back with a £30m bid for Spurs’ teenage centre-back Luka Vuskovic. The 19‑year‑old shone on loan at Hamburg and is regarded as one of Europe’s top young defenders. He is keen on the switch to the south coast, but Spurs are not inclined to accept the current offer. They know what they have.
Higher up the pitch, the gaps are obvious. Tottenham have spent a year trying to find a winger to replace Heung‑Min Son and have hit brick walls with moves for Bryan Mbeumo and Antoine Semenyo. Manchester City’s Savinho features on their shortlist this summer as they search for pace and one‑v‑one threat out wide.
De Zerbi also wants another striker – ideally one who can operate across the entire front line. With last season’s injury crisis still fresh in the memory, he wants flexibility and depth, not another year of patchwork forward lines.
Even in goal, nothing is settled. Guglielmo Vicario could yet return to Italy. Juventus have him on their list as they weigh up options, and Inter have previously shown interest. Antonin Kinsky finished the season as De Zerbi’s No 1, but if Vicario goes, Spurs will be forced back into the market for another goalkeeper.
A defining deal?
All of this points back to Tonali.
Tottenham want a squad built in De Zerbi’s image: brave on the ball, technically sharp, comfortable playing through pressure. The Italian midfielder would sit at the heart of that vision, turning a survival side into something more ambitious.
Newcastle’s stance is firm, the price will be eye-watering, and the competition, if it reignites, will be fierce. Yet if Spurs are serious about changing their trajectory under De Zerbi, this is exactly the kind of fight they will have to win.
Does this become the transfer that finally drags Tottenham into a new era, or another reminder of how hard it is to buy your way to the top of the Premier League? The answer may rest on whether Sandro Tonali can be prised out of Tyneside.
