Tottenham Hotspur are pushing harder for Sandro Tonali than any other transfer target right now, as Roberto De Zerbi recently secured his star pupil from Brighton, Dutchman Jan Paul van Hecke, to finish out the revamping of his back four. And now, De Zerbi and Spurs want to focus on the midfield, with Tonali and Mateus Fernandes targeted as the main two pillars, with Adam Wharton being another potential addition fans are raving about.
The Italian international Tonali, though, is the No. 1 target, and Spurs could be prepared to pay 100 million euros for the Newcastle United star. So far, Manchester City are the only other top club linked, but with Tottenham showing the most interest in the player and having that special connection with De Zerbi, whom Tonali is apparently a big fan of, the Lilywhites actually like their chances.
Tottenham have reason to fear
But anyone who has watched any transfer window play out at N17 knows not to count those proverbial chickens. Last season, Tottenham had a few dream transfers pulled out from under them at the last second, and Arsenal were most famously responsible for one of them in Eberechi Eze. Now, in hindsight, Spurs do not regret the move after landing a younger and better player in Xavi Simons, but the way Arsenal stole Eze (and Christian Norgaard earlier, too) is a reminder how how big of a threat their biggest rivals are to them on the market.
Arsenal were the most interested team in Sandro Tonali during the 2025/26 Premier League season, and while they have been quiet thus far, a warning sign has arrived. Because according to the Daily Mail's Simon Jones, while Tonali is open to playing for Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham Hotspur, his preference is actually Arsenal. And if Arsenal were to build their interest in Tonali back up, he may very well choose them instead.
That is not at all what Tottenham needed to hear, and while cynically some will wonder if it is Newcastle trying to drive up the transfer fee, it would make perfect sense for Arsenal to lie in wait just to rob from Spurs again at the last. They already did it twice before, and that strategy would actually make more sense from the Gunners than the current explanation of them simply dropping interest, even though Tonali would be an upgrade over the midfielder they signed last summer in Martin Zubimendi.
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