Spurs agree club record £100mil move for Newcastle’s Tonali

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur are poised to sign Sandro Tonali after agreeing a club-record £100 million (US$133 million) fee for the Newcastle midfielder, several British media reports said Wednesday.

Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi appears set to win the race for the services of his fellow Italian despite interest in the 26-year-old from Premier League champions Arsenal, the club’s arch north London rivals, and Manchester City.

Wednesday’s reports said an initial fee of £92.5million plus a further £7.5m in add-ons will see Tonali sign for Spurs and complete their midfield revamp after they agreed to bring Mateus Fernandes across London from West Ham on Tuesday.

The two-big money moves signal a huge shift in strategy from Spurs after they operated a tight wage structure under former chairman Daniel Levy.

The Lewis family, Tottenham’s majority owners, promised to fund a rebuild after inviting Levy to step down in September.

They are making good on those words after De Zerbi helped them avoid relegation on the final day of last season following a chaotic campaign.

The experienced trio of Andrew Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have arrived on free transfers, with Spurs spending a reported £52 million to bring Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton.

Fernandes is set to arrive in a move worth £85 million.

Tonali’s career was halted by 10-month worldwide ban for gambling on football.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) punished Tonali in October 2023 for breaching the rule which prohibits players placing bets on football events organised by itself, Europe’s Uefa and global governing body Fifa during his time in Italy.

The Italy midfielder joined Newcastle from AC Milan in July 2023 for £55 million and his ban came after he had played 12 games for the Magpies.

In May 2024, Tonali was given a suspended two-month ban after admitting to breaches of the English Football Association’s betting rules.