Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £100million deal to sign Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United despite Arsenal being credited with an interest in the Italy international
Arsenal reportedly rejected the chance to sign Sandro Tonali before Tottenham Hotspur agreed a £100million deal with Newcastle United.
Tonali, 26, is in line to become the second player to break Spurs' transfer record during this summer window, with Matheus Fernandes also due to join from West Ham United for £85million. football.london understands that the Gunners were also interested in the Portugal international.
That means two of the most in-demand Premier League midfielders who were available during this summer transfer window are now north London-bound. The pair will help overhaul the Spurs midfield in what will be a new-look side next season.
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Tonali, though, could have ended up at Emirates Stadium, according to ChronicleLive. His agent Giuseppe Riso apparently approached Arsenal about his client.
But the Gunners reportedly declined that opportunity because they deemed his wage demands too high. Tonali is said to be in line to earn £275,000 per week at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a six-year contract.
Riso also allegedly wanted a 10% agent cut. The agent spoke openly about his client's availability ahead of this summer.
He said in March: "Exactly, that was the goal from the moment he went to England – to try to make him a star player. I think he's the Italian footballer with one of the highest values in the world.
"The deal came about because a club like Newcastle, with unlimited financial resources, had decided to invest in Sandro. We considered the idea of having the player play in a higher-level league."
The suggestion is that Spurs will pay an initial £92.5million, with £7.5million in add-ons based on qualifying for the Champions League. football.london understands that Spurs improving their initial £80million offer by around £20million sealed the deal with Newcastle.
Arsenal are also understood to be keen on signing Bruno Guimaraes. Their interest in the Brazil international is known to date back to 2020, when the midfielder was still playing for Atletico Paranaense in his homeland.
Newcastle, however, have already recouped £80million for Anthony Gordon this summer. With another £100million to come from cashing in on Tonali, they would appear to be even more unwilling to part with their club captain.
Their chief executive, David Hopkinson, acknowledged the possibility of any player leaving three months ago. He said: "We think through what players might or might not want to do this summer.
"But if an [Alexander] Isak-like scenario presents itself again, any player under contract is going to leave on our terms. And we're going to maximise the opportunity that might represent for the club."