Why bizarre Sandro Tonali bid is bad news for Tottenham

Tottenham have been the busiest club in the summer transfer window so far and have now submitted a new bid for top target Sandro Tonali.

The Lilywhites have already completed several deals this summer, as Martin Dubravka became their fourth signing this week in a move which will pave the way for Antonin Kinsky to become first-choice goalkeeper, with Guglielmo Vicario expected to leave.

Tottenham have also stepped up their pursuit of West Ham midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who they will face comeptition for from Manchester United.

Spurs are eager to secure the services of the highly-rated 21-year-old and confidence is growing a deal can be struck with West Ham.

An overall package in the region of £85million is likely to satisfy the Hammers, who sold Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham last July after a lengthy period without doing business with their London rivals.

Chief executive Vinai Venkatesham has issued a strong defence of the club’s recruitment practices and vowed to be ambitious to back Roberto De Zerbi this summer.

ENIC have already seen an £75m offer for Tonali rejected by Newcastle, who are facing a difficult summer of their own with sharks circling for several of their top stars, having already seen Anthony Gordon depart to Barcelona.

The Magpies are demanding £100m for Tonali while also resisting advances from Arsenal for Bruno Guimaraes, and Spurs have now submitted a surprising new bid.

Tottenham submit bizarre second bid for Tonali

Indeed, according to The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, Spurs have sent a new offer to Newcastle in another attempt to make Tonali their new record signing.

The strange part of it is however – the fee involved is the exact same as the first bid.

Hope claims De Zerbi’s side sent the same offer again and asked Newcastle to reconsider, only to be rebuffed once again.

The Magpies’ demand remains £100m, and Hope reports none of the suitors have ‘presented a package they would deem acceptable’.

FFC Verdict: Spurs unlikely to reach £100m mark

Credibility: Craig Hope is viewed as extremely reliable for Newcastle transfer rumours. He has covered football in the North East for over a decade, working primarily for The Daily Mail throughout that time.

Hope was one of the top sources of information during Liverpool’s move for Alexander Isak, providing regular quotes and updates directly from Eddie Howe.

Fit: Tonali’s fit under De Zerbi is clear, given their Italian connection and the manager’s focus on high-intensity possession-based play.

De Zerbi relied heavily on Pascal Gross during his time at Brighton, who was a hard-working but techincally gifted midfielder, and Tonali could perform a similar function in his new look Spurs side, having averaged more than one tackle and one key pass per game for Newcastle last season, contributing both on and off the ball.

Cost: Anything over the reported £75m bid would instantly make the 5 foot 11 star Spurs’ new record signing.

Already on £120,000-a-week on Tyneside and likely to receive a significant pay bump to move to London, the total cost of signing the Italy international would be massive.

Likelihood: Given Tonali’s own reticence to stay at Newcastle – his agents have made it clear to the Magpies he intends to leave – the bids are no surprise.

Whether Tottenham will to reach the £100m price tag is another matter however, and the fact they were willing to even try their luck with a ‘please reconsider’ offer at £75m does not bode well for their chances of adding an extra £25m to that figure.

Newcastle’s demands are only going to get harsher as well, with Arsenal’s attempts to poach Bruno Guimaraes likely to make them play even harder to get.

It could therefore turn into a race between the two North London sides to get a deal done for their respective targets, as the Magpies will demand a King’s ransom if they’ve already lost a key player in that position.

Impact: Tonali’s arrival would be great news for Xavi Simons, who struggled at times during his first campaign in the Premier League.

The Dutchman found some form before picking up a serious injury, and returning from that to play in front of a midfield consisting of more grit and technical quality would allow him more freedom to work his magic in the final third.