The race to sign Sandro Tonali is seriously heating up, with Tottenham Hotspur preparing a colossal offer that’ll outdo Manchester City, according to a report.
Tonali is looking to leave Newcastle United this summer as he is concerned about their decline under Eddie Howe. The Magpies qualified for the Champions League two seasons ago, only to fall to 12th in the Premier League table last term.
Tonali has been linked with both Arsenal and Manchester United, but it is now Tottenham and Man City who are vying for his signature.
Spurs beat Man Utd to an £85million deal for West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes on Tuesday night, and Roberto De Zerbi wants to follow up on that deal with an even bigger swoop for Tonali.
Spurs opened the bidding for the Italian at £75m, an offer which was rejected by Newcastle. We revealed on Saturday that Spurs are readying an incredible new proposal to match Newcastle’s £100m valuation.
As per Spanish newspaper Marca, City are ‘preparing another bombshell’ after agreeing a huge £116m deal for Elliot Anderson and are ‘prepared to push’ for Tonali with a €110m (£95m) bid.
City, like Spurs, want two elite midfield signings to rebuild their engine room.
But as things stand, Spurs are still leading the charge for Tonali. They are willing to meet his £100m price tag and have reportedly agreed a six-year contract with the 26-year-old.
We revealed on Tuesday afternoon that Spurs are stepping up their hunt for both Fernandes and Tonali, whom De Zerbi has identified as pivotal targets.
Now that an agreement has been struck for Fernandes to join, snaring Tonali is Spurs’ next priority.
Newcastle fans will understandably question why Tonali would leave them for Spurs, who have finished 17th two seasons in a row.
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Tottenham fighting hard for Sandro Tonali
Spurs’ appointment of De Zerbi is understood to be a big draw for players such as Tonali. De Zerbi is highly rated in the game and is also a compatriot of Tonali’s.
The player clearly believes the Spurs project will finally head in the right direction next season, while harbouring serious doubts over Newcastle under Howe.
Spurs must watch out for City, though. They have shown with Anderson that they are willing to spend mega money to get their key targets.
The Cityzens may have seen legendary manager Pep Guardiola depart, but they are still expected to compete for trophies under new boss Enzo Maresca.
Meanwhile, we can reveal the three main reasons why Fernandes has agreed to join Spurs over United – and it might not be for the reasons you think.