By Charles Maduka
Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly agreed a club-record £100 million deal to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali. The agreement is said to include an initial payment of £92.5 million, with an additional £7.5 million in performance-related add-ons.
The move is expected to see Spurs manager Roberto De Zerbi secure the signature of his fellow Italian despite interest from Premier League champions Arsenal and Manchester City. Tonali is set to become part of Tottenham’s midfield rebuild after the club also reached an agreement to sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham.
The big-money transfers signal a major change in Tottenham’s transfer policy after years of operating under a strict wage structure during Daniel Levy’s time as chairman. The club’s majority owners, the Lewis family, pledged to invest heavily in rebuilding the squad after Levy stepped down last September.
Tottenham have already strengthened their squad with the free-transfer arrivals of Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka, while they reportedly spent £52 million to sign Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton. Fernandes is also expected to complete an £85 million move to the club.
Tonali’s career was interrupted by a 10-month worldwide suspension for breaching football betting regulations. The Italian Football Federation handed him the ban in October 2023 after he admitted to placing bets on football matches during his time in Italy. He had joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July 2023 for £55 million and had made 12 appearances before the suspension was announced.
The Italy international later received a suspended two-month ban in May 2024 after admitting to further breaches of the English Football Association’s betting rules. He is now set for a fresh chapter at Tottenham as the North London club continues its ambitious rebuilding project.
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