Back when Newcastle United placed a nine-figure price tag on Sandro Tonali’s head, nobody in his sane mind believed there would be a club willing to pony up that amount to extract him from Tyneside.
On Wednesday, after a week or so of rumors and negotiations, Tottenham Hotspur finally got face-painted.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein was the first to report that the Spurs have reached an agreement to sign Sandro Tonali from Newcastle in a deal that could rise to £100million, exactly the amount the Magpies were demanding from the get-go.
The deal is “only” worth an initial £92.5million, with another £7.5million in add-ons tied to multiple Champions League qualifications, which might or might not happen after Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League last season.
Once it’s made official, the move would become a new club-record transfer for Tottenham, who have already agreed a deal worth up to £85 million for West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes.
Meanwhile, it will mark one of Newcastle’s biggest sales for profit. Tonali joined Newcastle from AC Milan in 2023 for around £60.5 million and became a key part of Howe’s midfield after returning from his 10-month gambling suspension, and now they are getting nearly £40 million more than they spent for a couple of seasons of Tonali.
The 26-year-old made 53 appearances last season, scoring three times as Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League and reached the Champions League last 16.
Although this is an obvious win for Newcastle, all things considered, it is also obvious that the optics are poor for Newcastle after the club got rid of a trio comprised of Tonali, Anthony Gordon, and Alexander Isak in a span of 10 months, with Bruno likely gone to make it four stars leaving the club in 12 months.
What will be inexcusable now for the Magpies is bringing him some very strong incoming transfers. Newcastle could have a fresh £250 million available for purchases once the Bruno sale is completed, and even if that doesn’t happen, they’d be sitting on a solid £170-1£80 millon.
Let’s announce some arrivals quickly to change the mood, and if not, PIF will get monstruosly exposed.