Newcastle hold out at 85: Tottenham push for Tonali

Per Di Marzio, Tottenham have agreed personal terms with Tonali, but the fee negotiation between the two clubs has not yet been settled. Although Spurs' opening £75 million bid was rejected by Newcastle, there is no huge gulf between the parties. Di Marzio suggested a compromise of around £80 million could be reached in the coming days. According to the report, Tottenham are offering Tonali a deal worth at least £275,000 a week for every season the club qualifies for the Champions League.

This transfer push is seen as a sign of a serious shift in Tottenham's approach to the market this summer. The north London club, who narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League last season, are aiming to climb back up the table under De Zerbi. Spurs' current club-record signing is the £65 million paid for Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth in 2024; so the Tonali move shows the club is preparing to be far more ambitious this summer.

Newcastle, for their part, are in a strong position at the negotiating table. Tonali, previously of interest to Manchester United and also tracked by Manchester City and Arsenal, is tied to the club long-term by his current contract. Newcastle signed the player from AC Milan around three years ago for roughly £55 million. Although the Magpies would prefer Tonali to stay, there is a growing sense that the Italy international wants to leave. Spurs have been encouraged in preliminary talks that the player wants to join them.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the rejection of Tottenham's opening £75 million bid was in fact expected. Romano noted that for a top player with such a big fee, the first bid is almost never accepted, and that this is common knowledge in football. In his view, Spurs' move was meant to show both Newcastle and especially the player how serious they are; the club sent the official bid within 12 hours to make its intent clear.

Romano stressed that Tottenham are continuing talks with both the player's camp and Newcastle, and are working very hard to land Tonali. The £10 million gap between the two clubs is expected to close soon. If Tonali arrives alongside West Ham's Mateus Fernandes — another De Zerbi priority — Tottenham will have completely revamped their midfield this summer. All eyes are now on whether the two clubs can reach an agreement at the table in the coming days.

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