Tottenham prepare blockbuster Tonali bid as De Zerbi’s midfield rebuild gathers pace

Tottenham Hotspur are preparing to step up their pursuit of Sandro Tonali with a sensational offer worth around £100million, as manager Roberto De Zerbi looks to make the Newcastle United star the marquee signing of his midfield rebuild, TEAMtalk can reveal.

Spurs have been working extensively behind the scenes on a deal for the Italy international throughout the summer and, as we revealed earlier this week, they have already made significant progress in talks with the player’s camp.

Tottenham’s opening proposal, worth closer to £75million, fell well short of Newcastle’s valuation, with the Magpies making it clear they would only consider offers in the region of £100million.

Now, sources have confirmed to us that Tottenham are ready to return with a fresh bid worth around that figure in what would comfortably smash the club’s existing transfer record.

The north London club have also put together a hugely lucrative contract package, worth more than double Tonali’s current salary at St James’ Park, in the belief they can persuade the 26-year-old to become the centre-piece of De Zerbi’s new-look midfield.

TEAMtalk understands confidence has continued to grow within Tottenham following positive discussions with Tonali’s representatives and, as we revealed earlier this week, the Italian is prepared to make the move to north London should the two clubs reach an agreement.

De Zerbi has made no secret internally of his desire to add elite quality in midfield and Tonali has emerged as his standout target.

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Newcastle stance on selling Sandro Tonali

While Spurs could recruit as many as three midfielders before the transfer window closes, the Newcastle star is viewed as the transformative signing capable of taking the squad to another level.

Newcastle, however, remain determined to keep hold of one of their most influential players.

The Magpies have consistently maintained that Tonali is not a player they want to lose, although sources have told us that there is growing awareness inside the club that several senior figures are assessing their futures this summer.

Tonali is among those, while Bruno Guimaraes, Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento have also attracted significant interest.

TEAMtalk can also reveal that Arsenal and Manchester City are both carefully monitoring developments surrounding Newcastle’s midfield.

However, neither club has yet decided whether to formally join the race for Tonali because they are also weighing up moves for his midfield partner, Bruno Guimaraes.

Both Arsenal and Man City remain huge admirers of Bruno Guimaraes and continue to assess which of Newcastle’s two star midfielders would represent the better long-term investment.

That leaves Newcastle facing the prospect of interest in both of the players who have formed the foundation of their midfield in recent seasons.

AC Milan also continue to admire Tonali and have explored the possibility of bringing their former midfielder back to San Siro, but financial constraints make a deal difficult compared to Tottenham’s resources.

For Spurs, though, the objective is clear.

The north London club are determined to provide De Zerbi with the elite-level additions he believes are needed to compete at the top end of the Premier League, and Tonali is regarded as the ideal player to lead that evolution.

Whether Newcastle are prepared to sanction such a high-profile sale remains to be seen, but with Tottenham now ready to test their resolve with a £100million offer, TEAMtalk understands one of the summer’s biggest transfer sagas is about to move into a crucial new phase.

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