Tottenham Hotspur Interested in Newcastle Midfielder Sandro Tonali

Tottenham Hotspur have joined the list of clubs interested in Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali.

Spurs manager Roberto de Zerbi is a long-time admirer of the Italian and even identified him as a target during his time in charge of Sassuolo, while Tonali was playing in Serie A.

Now, several years on, it is understood Spurs have explored the financials of a deal for the 26-year-old.

Manchester City and Arsenal have also shown an interest, as BBC Sport previously reported, but no club has yet made a formal approach.

Newcastle have already sold forward Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for £69.3m, but chief executive David Hopkinson has previously made it clear they will only trade players on "our terms".

They are in a strong position as Tonali is effectively contracted until 2030 after the Italian signed a new deal during his 10-month betting ban to repay the faith the club showed in him.

The current market could also work in Newcastle's favour, if a bidding war ensues, given the valuations of midfielders elsewhere.

Nottingham Forest rejected a second offer worth around £120m from Manchester City for Elliot Anderson, while relegated West Ham want up to £80m for Mateus Fernandes.

By Ciaran Kelly, Newcastle United reporter

Newcastle may have finished above Tottenham in the Premier League in three of the last four seasons.

However, Spurs are still a long way clear of Newcastle in the revenue table thanks to substantial off-field income streams, which have offset difficult league campaigns.

In the respective clubs' most recent financial accounts, the Londoners generated £230m more in revenue than Newcastle.

Spurs are now looking to make the most of such headroom by raising their salary ceiling.

In an interview with BBC Sport, in May, the club's chief executive Vinai Venkatesham confirmed the change in approach and said they needed "experience, leadership and also that kind of physical robustness".

Tonali fits this description on his day.

His technical qualities are well-known, but in 2024-25 - his best league campaign for Newcastle - he also tirelessly won possession back in midfield on 109 occasions, made 34 interceptions and applied 1,308 high pressure movements.

No wonder even his usually measured head coach Eddie Howe once said he "fell in love" with this all-rounder when he first watched him play.

Howe would ideally not want to lose players like Tonali, Gordon or Alexander Isak for that matter, who joined Liverpool for a British record £125m last summer.

But Newcastle are having to become better sellers and plan accordingly as part of the club's rebuild.

If a huge offer of up to £100m is eventually made by one of Tonali's suitors, it may be tempting to cash in on a player whose form has noticeably dipped.

However, at this early stage of the window, that remains a big if.