Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement with Newcastle United to sign Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali for up to £100 million. The deal includes an initial £92.5 million fee plus £7.5 million in add-ons, primarily linked to Tottenham qualifying for the Champions League [1, 2, 3, 4].
The agreement was finalized on July 1, 2026, after an earlier bid of around £75-80 million from Tottenham was rejected by Newcastle on June 20 [1, 3]. Tonali joined Newcastle in July 2023 from AC Milan for approximately £55 million [2, 4].
Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham’s manager, has expressed his intention to rebuild his team with Tonali as the central figure. De Zerbi called Tonali "a key player" and said, "I intend rebuilding my side around Tonali" [2].
Tottenham are breaking their club record transfer fee again, surpassing the previous record of £65 million paid for Dominic Solanke in 2024 [3]. The club had just agreed an £85 million deal for West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes on the same day as finalizing Tonali’s signing [1, 3, 4].
Alongside Tonali and Fernandes, Tottenham have signed four other players this summer, including Jan Paul van Hecke, who reportedly cost £52 million, and three free transfers: Dubravka, Senesi, and Robertson [3, 4].
Tonali’s time at Newcastle was marked by disciplinary issues. In October 2023, he received a 10-month suspension for breaching Italian Football Federation betting rules, followed by a suspended two-month ban from the English FA in May 2024 [2, 4].
Before agreeing terms with Tottenham, Tonali was also reportedly pursued by Manchester City and Arsenal, although Spurs ultimately secured his signature [2, 4].
The deal’s add-ons mainly depend on Tottenham’s qualification for the Champions League, emphasizing the club’s ambition to compete at the highest level in Europe [1, 2, 3, 4].
