Tottenham have thrown their hat into the ring for Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali.
Manchester United had made the early running for the Italy international but stepped back amid the escalating costs of the transfer plus his wages.
The 26-year-old has also had approaches from Manchester City and Arsenal, who have maintained dialogue since January.
City are advancing in discussions for Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson with Tonali their back-up option.
Roberto De Zerbi may face a hard sell but hopes Tottenham can at least try and tempt Newcastle and Tonali into a move despite the lack of European football on offer for the player.
Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali (right) is wanted by Tottenham as they look to bolster their midfield
Tonali has played 110 times for Newcastle and helped them win the 2025-26 League Cup
Tottenham’s summer rebuild is already well underway, with Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi joining on free transfers from Liverpool and Bournemouth respectively.
Midfield is an area Spurs will need to strengthen this summer. Yves Bissouma will leave on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the month, while Xavi Simons will miss the majority of next season after suffering an ACL injury towards the end of this season.
On top of that, Joao Palhinha is returning to his parent club Bayern Munich after his loan spell in north London. As detailed by Daily Mail Sport’s Tottenham transfer briefing last month, the Portuguese midfielder, who scored vital winning goals against Wolves and Everton in the run-in, is wanted by former club Sporting but De Zerbi has recommended that the club keep him.
‘Joao is a great example,’ said the Italian. ‘He’s on loan with us but he’s one of the first players to start here, and as we look to rebuild next season.’
As well as sorting their midfield, Spurs are making moves to alter their defence too.
They are reluctant to sell Luka Vuskovic following Brighton’s £30m bid for the defender.
However, the 19-year-old, who spent last season loan at Hamburg and has interest from Barcelona, Inter and Bayern Munich, is keen to team up with Fabian Hurzeler.
Brighton have made a clever move, with Tottenham negotiating over their own centre back Jan Paul van Hecke, they have posed the question: where does highly-rated Vuskovic fit in Roberto de Zerbi’s plans?
Vuskovic’s performances in Germany earned him a place in the Bundesliga team of the season, with the player scoring six league goals, more than any other central defender in Germany’s top flight.
Meanwhile, Spurs are also close to finalising a new four-year contract with Pedro Porro.
