Tottenham Hotspur are on the verge of completing the biggest transfer in the club’s history after reportedly agreeing a £100 million ($133 million) deal with Newcastle United for Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Multiple British media outlets reported on Wednesday that the agreement is worth an initial £92.5 million, with a further £7.5 million in performance-related add-ons, paving the way for the 26-year-old to join Roberto De Zerbi’s side.
Tonali had also attracted interest from Premier League champions Arsenal and Manchester City, but Spurs appear to have won the race for the highly rated midfielder.
His arrival would further strengthen Tottenham’s midfield following the club’s agreement on Tuesday to sign Mateus Fernandes from West Ham in another high-profile move.
The back-to-back marquee signings underline a dramatic change in Tottenham’s transfer approach after years of operating under a strict financial model during Daniel Levy’s time as chairman.
Following Levy’s departure in September, majority owners the Lewis family pledged significant investment to rebuild the squad, a promise they are now delivering after De Zerbi guided Spurs to Premier League survival on the final day of a turbulent campaign last season.
Tottenham have also reinforced other areas of the squad, bringing in Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka on free transfers, while Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke joined from Brighton in a deal reportedly worth £52 million.
Fernandes is expected to complete his switch for a fee reported to be around £85 million.
Tonali’s career was interrupted by a 10-month worldwide suspension for breaches of football betting regulations.
The Italian Football Federation imposed the ban in October 2023 after finding he had violated rules prohibiting players from betting on football competitions organised by the federation, UEFA and FIFA during his time in Italy.
The Italy international had joined Newcastle from AC Milan for £55 million in July 2023 and had made 12 appearances for the Magpies before the suspension took effect.
In May 2024, he received an additional suspended two-month ban after admitting to further violations of the English Football Association’s betting regulations.
