Why Spurs want Tonali - and Newcastle do not want to let him go

Tottenham want to sign Sandro Tonali this summer - but they will have a big task on their hands if they are to lure the Newcastle midfielder away from St James' Park.

The Italy international is a top target for Roberto De Zerbi as he looks to rebuild his Tottenham squad after helping the club avoid relegation from the Premier League.

Newcastle would only consider selling Tonali, who has a contract until 2029, for a huge fee. The Italian's current deal, signed in 2024 when he was serving a 10-month gambling ban, does not include a release clause, which puts Newcastle in a strong negotiating position.

Here, Sky Sports News reporters Mark McAdam and Michael Bridge offer views from both camps...

"This is a real statement of intent from Tottenham Hotspur.

"A few weeks ago, Vinai Venkatesham and non-executive chairman Peter Charrington were releasing statements that Spurs will be busy in the next few windows, starting with this summer, and they will be backing De Zerbi.

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"De Zerbi is probably the most hands-on head coach Spurs have had for some time. Spurs have the director of football model but the message is clear - De Zerbi wants big signings and they are in for a big player.

"Newcastle United would probably look for around maybe the £80m mark, maybe even more.

"But you look at Arsenal, Declan Rice is a £100m bargain. He's elevated them on so many levels and Tonali would elevate Tottenham's midfield to a number of levels as well.

"But they've gone guns blazing already. Marcos Senesi is a really good signing, Andy Robertson brings extra leadership to the backline and the changing room.

"They want Jan Paul van Hecke at Brighton, they like [Man City's] Savinho. They're looking to make some big changes because their message was clear - they never want to be down at the bottom again.

"There are a number of suitors in the Premier League for Tonali. There are a lot of teams in European circles as well that like him, but there are very few that can probably get to where Newcastle would like to be financially.

"We know that Manchester City have been one of those sides that have kept an eye on him over the course of the last few months and Arsenal are also big fans of Tonali, but this is a blockbuster deal.

"For Newcastle to sell, which they don't want to do because he's their prized asset, it would have to be a seismic offer.

"They won't want to lose someone who is so instrumental to that midfield. One of the big things about Tonali, not only is he very technically gifted, but he can play in multiple positions and that's an area of concern for Tottenham.

"They want a midfielder that can command through the middle, who's very good on the ball and can make things happen - that's exactly the missing piece that De Zerbi wants."

"Firstly London would probably be a factor. Maybe he feels like he's had a good few years at Newcastle and would like the change.

"I don't think Newcastle fans would mind me saying it was hard for him to leave Italy when he did join the club. That doesn't mean he's not given 110 per cent since and Newcastle fans would say 'we've stuck by him through certain situations he's had'.

"But with Tottenham, you can't get away from the fact that players still come to this club and when Spurs were in relegation problems, you couldn't get away from it… you can see the reaction from the club that they mean business and they don't want to be anywhere near there again."

"It will be a really interesting summer in the North East. I liken it to when Eddie [Howe] first went to the football club in November 2021.

"That January in 2022 was a transformational window. It was an opportunity to recruit, to sign; it was the start of a new era and they had to rebuild Newcastle United.

"It feels like this is another window that's going to see a complete refresh in the squad and a different transfer philosophy. They'll be looking for younger players.

"You saw last summer they're signing players at £50m, £60m, £70m, they were linked with [Bryan] Mbeumo and [Benjamin] Sesko - these are big players who command big wages and the transfer fees are huge as well.

"It's not going to be like that at Newcastle. They're going to have to shop in a different circle, they don't have European football to worry about and the types of players they're going to be looking at are going to be younger, cheaper but players that they can mould and develop into Newcastle superstars and that's going to be the remit.

"Newcastle fans have to adjust their expectations ever so slightly this season. The first person who has high expectations is Eddie Howe. He will say 'I want to be in the top half of the table at minimum, I want to be challenging for European football, I want to have Champions League campaigns, I want to get to the latter stages of cup competitions, but I understand that we're at the start of a new journey so therefore we have to be a little bit careful'."