Tottenham Hotspur have secured three signings for Roberto De Zerbi thus far in the summer transfer window, upgrading the defense with Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, and veteran left back Andrew Robertson to give the manager more options and Premier League experience.
But the real big changes that need to happen are in the midfield and attack. So far, Spurs have not really gone after anyone in the forward positions besides Savinho, with talks seemingly cooling on that front, but they are ramping up interest in two center midfielders, Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.
Tonali is the top midfielder of choice for De Zerbi, as the Brescia native would like to sign the former Brescia and AC Milan star, who won the Scudetto with the latter a handful of years ago. Tottenham are pushing hard for the Newcastle United star, and, so far, they are the betting favorites early on to land the Italian international.
Tottenham are serious about the signing
Now, The Athletic's top transfer insider David Ornstein is reporting that not only have Tottenham Hotspur opened talks for Tonali, but they are also showing "intent to get deal done" in their approach for the player. Though Ornstein also cautions that Tottenham have to be wary of interest from another top Premier League club, as Manchester City are also in an "ongoing" pursuit of the 26 year old star midfielder.
While Sandro Tonali has been very good for Newcastle since joining them from Milan, he has yet to truly progress to the heights he was destined for when he was first breaking out with the Rossoneri as a young player, and that is possibly because Eddie Howe is hiding his best traits as a creator and passer in the scheme.
A great athlete, leader, and technical player, Tonali should be one of the best center midfielders in the world, and it is surprising that Tottenham's only competition is Manchester City, though it is worth noting that Arsenal seemed to badly want him during the 2025/26 Premier League season - and Manchester United were rumored as well.
Tottenham appear to have real intent in the race for Tonali, and virtually every top transfer reporter has now put out positive news on the Spurs front, giving fans hope that this is a deal they could very well complete in conjunction with the 60 million euro Jan Paul van Hecke swoop for Roberto De Zerbi. Tonali is the kind of player who immediately changes Spurs midfield.