Tottenham Hotspur could face a major battle on their hands to fulfil Roberto De Zerbi’s desire to bring Sandro Tonali to Hotspur Way.
Tottenham are continuing to act with urgency and proactivity in the transfer market, with their near relegation from the Premier League seemingly serving as a warning shot for the club.
Jean Paul van Hecke is expected to arrive through the door in a £52m deal, with the Dutchman set to become the club’s third addition of the Roberto De Zerbi era following Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi.
Tottenham are now pushing hard to agree an audacious deal for Sandro Tonali, which would be a real statement of ambition from the North Londoners following two successive 17th-placed finishes.
Newcastle United expect other suitors to challenge Tottenham for Sandro Tonali
Journalist Ben Jacobs has now revealed on social media that Newcastle United are braced for offers to arrive for the Italy international.
However, they do not just expect it to arrive from Spurs, with the Magpies expecting multiple suitors for Tonali, whom they value at around £100m including add-ons.
Jacobs wrote on X: “Newcastle braced for bids for Sandro Tonali and expecting multiple suitors. Spurs and Manchester City both in talks. Arsenal enquired in January and are still assessing midfield options for this summer.
“A return to Italy very unlikely due to cost, even though Tonali wants to play in Serie A again one day. Newcastle are looking for around £100m including add-ons.”
Spurs should not be fearing the possibility of a Tonali hijack
There have been suggestions in the media that the likes of Arsenal are expected to enter the race for Tonali and that Tottenham’s interest could be being used to get other suitors to accelerate their moves for the midfielder.
Some Spurs fans are thus understandably concerned about being left embarrassed again, just like the Lilywhites were last summer with the Eberechi Eze deal.
However, the reality is that when you go for players of Tonali’s and Eze’s calibre, there will always be competition, and one always runs the risk of losing out to a bigger club. It is a positive that Tottenham are not afraid of pursuing the best players on the market.