Tottenham enter race to sign Sandro Tonali from Newcastle as £100m links intensify

Tottenham now seem to have stolen the march on their rivals in a move for Italy international and Newcastle United star Sandro Tonali. Roberto De Zerbi’s side are now prepared to go the extra mile t...

Arsenal have been credited with a strong interest in Newcastle star Sandro Tonali (Picture: Getty) Ex-England striker Darren Bent has told Arsenal to avoid spending £100million on Sandro Tonali and focus their efforts on strengthening other areas of the squad. Tonali finds himself at the centre of a Premier League tug-of-war this summer, with English champions Arsenal far from alone in exploring a possible deal for the Newcastle central midfielder. Manchester United, Manchester City and Serie A giants Juventus are all believed to be monitoring the situation – and Newcastle are growing increasingly resigned to losing the 26-year-old. However, reports emanating out of Tonali’s native Italy on Monday claimed Tottenham had ‘forcefully’ entered the fray and Roberto De Zerbi is said to be playing a central role in Spurs’ pursuit. Don't miss anything from the World Cup Crunch time beckons for Thomas Tuchel (Picture: FA via Getty Images) We've got the latest from the England camp, previews of the biggest games and everything you missed overnight in our daily World Cup newsletter. Sign up here. Crucially, Tonali is understood to be ‘open’ to the prospect of a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, despite the club narrowly avoiding the drop last season. Those interested parties will be aware that Tonali’s services will not come cheap, though, with the Magpies reportedly demanding an eye-watering fee of £100m for their prized possession. It comes six months after Arsenal held ‘direct talks’ to land Tonali as cover for Mikel Merino, who was sidelined at the time with a serious broken foot. Newcastle have slapped a £100m price tag on the Italy midfielder (Picture: Getty) Tonali is reportedly ‘open’ to the prospect of joining Spurs (Picture: Getty) ‘Listen, Arsenal aren’t paying £100m for Tonali,’ former Tottenham forward Bent, a lifelong fan of bitter rivals Arsenal, said on talkSPORT when addressing the latest rumours surrounding the sought-after Italy international. ‘He’s a very good player but that’s a position Arsenal don’t need to worry about. ‘Yes, I’d love to take him at Arsenal, 100 per cent, but not for £100m. ‘He’d be brilliant for Manchester United but £100m is a lot of money.’ Tonali has three years remaining on his current deal at St James’ Park (Picture: Getty) While Bent feels Tonali has the quality to bring another dimension to Arsenal’s midfield options, he hopes the Gunners spend their transfer kitty elsewhere over the coming weeks and months. ‘For Newcastle probably, yeah, I get that [£100m price tag],’ he added. ‘He’s a good player, a very good player, and, again, I’d love him at Arsenal. But I just don’t want Arsenal paying £100m.’ Asked what he believes Tonali is really worth, Bent replied: ‘£80m or £85m, I think that would be reasonable.’ The Gunners should strengthen elsewhere before splurging £100m on Tonali, says Bent (Picture: Getty) Turning his attentions to this week’s rumours surrounding Tonali, Bent believes Tottenham’s hopes of a deal could fall squarely on the shoulders of their new manager De Zerbi. Asked if Spurs represented a step up on Newcastle, he responded: ‘The last couple of seasons would suggest no. ‘What you’re going to have to sell to Tonali when it comes to this type of conversation is the project. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page ‘De Zerbi will say to him, “I get it, we’ve had a couple of down years… I know we won the Europa League, but think about what we’re doing now – we’re trying to get Savinho in, we’re trying to Jan Paul van Hecke in, Andy Robertson is already there!”. ‘He [De Zerbi] be saying, “We’re starting to rebuild and you [Tonali] could be that crown jewell right in the middle”, so yeah, if they could sell that project to him then maybe they get it over the line.’ Tonali put pen to paper on a new contract with Newcastle back in January, tying him to St James’ Park until 2029.But in an interview with Italian outlet Calcio e Finanza just two months later, Tonali’s agent Giuseppe Riso was unable to provide any assurances over his client’s future in the north east. POLL Poll Is Sandro Tonali worth £100m? YesCheck NoCheck Riso also suggested that he and Tonali’s inner circle had always viewed Newcastle as something of a stepping stone to a bigger club. ‘The deal came about because a club like Newcastle with unlimited financial resources had decided to invest in Sandro,’ he said.‘We considered the idea of having the player play in a higher-level league.’ On a possible departure from Tyneside for a club such as Arsenal or Manchester City, Riso added: ‘Exactly, that was the goal from the moment he went to England – to try to make him a star player. ‘I think he’s the Italian footballer with one of the highest values in the world.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Sandro Tonali: The view from Tottenham and Newcastle as Spurs target Magpies midfielder for summer transfer  Sky SportsSandro Tonali: Spurs in talks for midfielder — but Newcastle want £100m  The TimesTottenham in positive Sandro Tonali talks with Newcastle midfielder’s camp - The Athletic  The New York TimesSandro Tonali and the £230m Tottenham transfer statement to fix De Zerbi problems  Football LondonREPORT: Spurs targeting move for Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali  Cartilage Free Captain

Shock Premier League club enters race to sign Sandro Tonali  talkSPORTTottenham want to sign Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali this summer.  Sky SportsTottenham in positive Sandro Tonali talks with Newcastle midfielder’s camp - The Athletic  The New York TimesTottenham 'forcefully' enter race for £100m star after Arsenal and Man Utd transfer links  Metro.co.ukWhy Tottenham move for Sandro Tonali is a perfect deal for club and player  London Evening Standard

Roberto De Zerbi is ‘pushing’ Tottenham to sign Sandro Tonali from Newcastle (Picture: Getty) Tottenham have joined this summer’s transfer race for Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, according to reports in Italy. Tonali has established himself as one of the most highly regarded central midfielders in Premier League football since swapping AC Milan for Newcastle back in 2023. A ten-month ban for breaching betting rules meant Tonali made only 12 appearances in his debut season with the Magpies, but the 26-year-old has gone on to become a key member of Eddie Howe’s dressing room and was an integral figure in the club’s Carabao Cup success. However, Tonali’s future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent months and the Toon are bracing themselves for a potential bidding frenzy, with the summer transfer window having opened on Monday. It's finally here Get everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day. Sign up here. According to respected Italian football journalist Matteo Moretto, Spurs are the latest Premier League side to ‘forcefully’ throw themselves into the mix for Tonali’s signature. Tottenham’s bitter rivals Arsenal had explored a possible move for Tonali back in January, while both Manchester clubs have also been credited with a strong interest in the Italy international. But Spurs have asserted themselves as a genuine force in the battle for Tonali and it’s claimed they are ‘ready to hand the 26-year-old the keys’ to their new project under Roberto De Zerbi. Newcastle have slapped a £100m price tag on the Italy midfielder (Picture: Getty) Tonali has three years remaining on his current deal at St James’ Park (Picture: Getty) De Zerbi is said to be playing a central role in Tottenham’s pursuit of a deal for Tonali and is actively ‘pushing’ club bosses to coax his fellow countryman away from St James’ Park. Crucially, it’s claimed Tonali is ‘open’ to the prospect of a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, despite the club narrowly avoiding relegation from the Premier League last season. Newcastle are believed to be demanding a fee in excess of £100million for Tonali – just three years after the midfielder arrived in the north east from Milan in a €70m (£60.5m) deal. Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup means Tonali is currently enjoying a long break away from football and barring an unforeseen setback, the deep-lying midfielder should enter the 2026/27 campaign with fresh legs. Tonali has a free summer after Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup (Picture: Getty) Tonali’s current contract with Newcastle is not due to expire until June 2029. Speaking to Italian publication Calcio e Finanza back in March, Tonali’s agent Giuseppe Riso was unable to provide any assurances over his client’s future with Newcastle. Riso also suggested that he and Tonali’s inner circle had always viewed Newcastle as something of a stepping stone to a bigger club. ‘The deal came about because a club like Newcastle with unlimited financial resources had decided to invest in Sandro,’ he said. ‘We considered the idea of having the player play in a higher-level league.’ On a possible departure from Tyneside for a club such as Arsenal or Manchester City, Riso added: ‘Exactly, that was the goal from the moment he went to England – to try to make him a star player. ‘I think he’s the Italian footballer with one of the highest values in the world.’ For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source