Sandro Tonali could be on the move this summer, with several top Premier League clubs said to be circling St James’ Park like vultures.
Arsenal could stop Tottenham Hotspur from signing Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United. The Magpies midfielder faces a somewhat uncertain future at St James’ Park, having recently entered the final two years of his contract.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Lilywhites have joined Manchester City and the Gunners in the race to sign Tonali. The journalist claims Roberto De Zerbi has identified the Italy international as the ‘ideal’ candidate to help Spurs climb the Premier League.
It’s said that Tottenham officials believe Tonali would be keen on the move. Meanwhile, The Athletic have reported that the sale of the 26-year-old ‘remains possible’, but Newcastle are yet to receive any ‘concrete offers’.
The Magpies would demand a ‘high fee’ for the midfielder, whose situation is currently being monitored by ‘multiple elite clubs’ in the English top-flight, including Arsenal. The report claims that Mikel Arteta is a fan of Tonali, but any potential deal ‘may prove prohibitively expensive’.
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Manchester United are also reportedly interested in signing the Italian, but he’s one of four options as Michael Carrick casts his net far and wide for a new midfielder. Tonali signed a five-year contract when he joined Newcastle from AC Milan for £55million in July 2023, but The Athletic reckon the Magpies reserve the option to extend his stay until June 2030.
The ChronicleLive, however, say Newcastle only have the option to extend his deal until June 2029. Nevertheless, in April 2026, the Italian squashed speculation of a move away from Tyneside.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Tonali said: “In football, if you play well, you have to deal with the transfer rumours, but if you concentrate 100 per cent on your game, and you’re happy, you don’t have to think about anything or speak about anything.”
A couple of weeks prior, his agent fielded questions from Italian outlet Calcio & Finanza. When asked about his move to St James’ Park, Giuseppe Riso said: “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.”
On a potential move to Arsenal or Manchester City, Riso said: “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.”
Regardless of whether Arsenal sign Tonali ahead of Tottenham or not, they’re expected to splash the cash again, despite spending about £250m last summer. Speaking to reporters last month, following the Gunners’ defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, Arteta turned his attention to transfer window.
The Spaniard said: “First of all, I will take a few days with my family and then we will start the process to review what we have done. We will have to start making some very important decisions if we want to reach another level.
“We are going to have to show that ambition because we are more than capable of doing it, but it is going to demand us to be very ambitious, very fast and very smart.”
