Tottenham Throw Hat in Ring for Tonali as Manchester United Balk at Price

Tottenham's late-season scramble to avoid the drop appears to have galvanised their summer business, with the club now making a bold play for Newcastle United's Sandro Tonali.

After scraping Premier League survival on the final day of 2025/26 following Roberto De Zerbi's emergency appointment, Spurs are determined to rebuild with genuine ambition. De Zerbi's arrival in the closing weeks proved just enough to edge out West Ham and keep Tottenham's top-flight status intact, but the season-long malaise meant reinforcements were non-negotiable.

The north London outfit have already moved swiftly in the market, securing free transfers for Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi, whilst also pursuing deals for Savinho, Jan Paul van Hecke and Joao Palhinha. Now, they've set their sights considerably higher.

Tonali has been the subject of intense speculation among the elite clubs, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Man Utd all previously circling the Newcastle midfielder. Yet De Zerbi is determined to make the 24-year-old the focal point of his midfield rebuild, and Tottenham are prepared to test Newcastle's resolve.

Spurs believe they can offer Tonali a platform to compete at the highest level whilst being central to their project. Newcastle's failure to secure European football next season has left them vulnerable to such advances, particularly given their earlier sale of Anthony Gordon.

However, Manchester United have quietly stepped away from the race. After securing the Ederson deal, the Old Trafford hierarchy have concluded that Tonali's asking price represents poor value, despite him being on their radar for some time. United remain keen to add further midfield reinforcements, but they've elected to pursue other targets rather than meet Newcastle's valuation for the Italian.

That leaves Spurs and Manchester City as the primary contenders for a player who could prove transformative in De Zerbi's attempt to restore Tottenham to genuine contenders.