Tottenham Hotspur have reached a full agreement with Newcastle United for the signing of Sandro Tonali after agreeing a package worth £100million, TEAMtalk can confirm.
Sources have confirmed that Tottenham and Newcastle have shaken hands on a deal that will see the midfielder become the most expensive signing in the north London club’s history and the first Italian footballer ever to command a £100m transfer fee.
The agreement comes just days after Tottenham completed an £85m move for West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes, underlining manager Roberto De Zerbi’s determination to transform his midfield ahead of the new season.
TEAMtalk understands that the structure of the deal will see Tottenham pay £92.5m up front, with a further £7.5m payable through achievable add-ons and performance-related bonuses.
Earlier on Wednesday, we exclusively revealed Newcastle were refusing to lower their £100million valuation, but were prepared to discuss a package that reached that figure through bonuses rather than insisting on the full amount being paid immediately.
That flexibility proved decisive.
After seeing an opening offer worth around £75m rejected last month, Tottenham returned on Wednesday with an improved proposal worth £90million.
Further negotiations quickly followed and, with Spurs agreeing to Newcastle’s overall valuation, the clubs have now reached a full agreement.
Tonali made it clear earlier this summer that he was ready for a new challenge after informing Newcastle he wanted to leave St James’ Park.
The Italy international midfielder’s availability alerted a host of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Arsenal, Manchester City and former club AC Milan all explored the possibility of signing the 26-year-old, but TEAMtalk understands that none were prepared to match both Newcastle’s valuation and the financial package Tottenham were willing to put on the table.
Spurs have gone all-in to land De Zerbi’s top midfield target.
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Tonali could become new Tottenham player before the weekend
We can reveal Tonali will become Tottenham’s highest-paid player after agreeing a five-year contract worth around £275,000 per week – more than double his current salary at Newcastle.
Personal terms have been agreed for some time, meaning only club-to-club negotiations remained.
With those now complete, Tottenham are hopeful the transfer can be formally concluded before the weekend.
The move represents another huge statement of intent from Spurs following De Zerbi’s arrival.
Having already secured Mateus Fernandes and previously adding experienced figures such as Martin Dubravka, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke, the north London club have now landed one of the Premier League’s elite midfielders to become the centre-piece of their rebuild.
For Newcastle, the sale represents a significant financial boost, although one they were only prepared to sanction after Tottenham met their valuation in full – the same stance that saw them land more than £80m from Barcelona for Anthony Gordon.
Attention will now turn to how the Magpies respond in the transfer market, while Spurs are expected to quickly switch their focus to other areas of De Zerbi’s squad once Tonali’s arrival is officially completed.
TEAMtalk understands that all parties are now working towards finalising the remaining paperwork, with the expectation that one of the biggest transfers of the summer will soon be confirmed.