Tottenham Hotspur are in the race to sign Sandro Tonali from Newcastle this summer, but there is still plenty of ground to be covered if a deal is to be reached.
The Tonali to Spurs rumours seemingly came from nowhere on Monday evening, and it is now dominating the back pages across the UK, with the Lilywhites looking to pull off an audacious deal.
According to reports, Roberto De Zerbi wants the Italy international to be the star of the Tottenham midfield next season, as the 46-year-old continues to rebuild the squad he inherited.
Spurs could face competition from Arsenal and Man City for Tonali, but a new report has suggested that the midfielder is not as close to departing St James’ Park as these updates suggest.
Tottenham have not contacted Newcastle regarding Sandro Tonali
The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has now claimed that so far, Newcastle have not been contacted by any club over a deal for the former AC Milan man.
The journalist shared that the Magpies do expect interest in Tonali and that a summer move is on the cards for the player, but so far, no club has initiated negotiations for the midfielder, let alone made an offer.
Edwards wrote on X: “Newcastle have not had any contact with any club regarding Sandro Tonali so far this summer.
“Newcastle are expecting interest to be shown in the Italy international, but if someone wants to sign him, they will have to let them know. That has not happened yet, and it will be expensive, both in terms of fee and wages. They have been led to believe Manchester United will not bid for Tonali.
“If you have read anything I’ve written about Tonali, I think he will go this summer. Some inside the club think he will go, but somebody has to bid for him, and they have to pay the right money. That hasn’t happened yet. Plain and simple.”
Spurs will have to shatter their transfer record to land Tonali
The one thing that appears clear is that if Tottenham are to land Tonali, he is likely to be the club’s record signing.
In fact, some sources indicate that Newcastle are expected to demand a whopping £100m for the Spurs target, who has two years left on his contract at St James’ Park.
That is £35m more than Tottenham’s current record signing, Dominic Solanke, and if the Lilywhites were to pay that, it would be a real statement of their ambition and willingness to back De Zerbi.
- READ MORE: Tottenham want to sign the ‘standout’ player of a World Cup clash, with 92% passing accuracy