Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is closing in on a £100m move to Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
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Sandro Tonali’s imminent move from Newcastle United to Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur is ‘brilliant’ for Magpies manager Eddie Howe - according to former United captain Kevin Nolan.
Speculation over the Italy international’s future at St James Park has been ongoing in recent weeks and months after the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City were all linked with a big money move for his services. However, Spurs ramped up their interest in recent weeks after Tonali was believed to have revealed his desire to work under Roberto De Zerbi and seek a fresh challenge.
After rejecting an initial bid worth around £80m last month, Newcastle finally accepted an offer worth an initial £92.5m on Wednesday and that figure could rise to £100m if Tonali triggers a number of add-ons during his time in North London. The move comes as part of an overhaul of the Spurs midfield after they completed a deal for West Ham United star Mateus Fernandes on Thursday morning.
Former Magpies captain Nolan believes Spurs have ‘pulled off two major coups’ by landing Fernandes and Tonali - but stressed Newcastle can benefit from the funds they will receive as they look to strengthen their own squad during the summer transfer window.
He told Sky Sports News: “He (Tonali) was a big favourite at Newcastle and when he was suspended for that time, they did miss him. When he did come back, you saw he had a really big impact on the team, on Eddie Howe’s team. It’s brilliant for Eddie to get that money in to overhaul his squad.
“But what they (Spurs) are doing is they have backed De Zerbi massively. They’ve put the money where their mouth is. Fernandes is a fantastic player, I really like him. I watched a lot of West Ham last year at the back end. But even in the early season, when they were struggling, he was the one that you thought he is going to be a top, top player. They needed to shore up and have a central midfield. I’ve always known Tottenham throughout the years, Modric, Carrick, I’ve played against them, all top players and they went on to the next level at that time. It was needed and they’ve pulled off two major coups there.”