Spurs in talks to sign £7.1m-per-year star

Tottenham Hotspur smashed their club transfer record earlier this week when they officially confirmed the signing of central midfielder Sandro Tonali.

The Lilywhites splashed out a fee of £100m for the first time in their history to bring the Italy international in from Newcastle United ahead of next season.

That came just days after the club had broken their transfer record to bring in Mateus Fernandes from relegated West Ham United for a fee of £85m.

Roberto De Zerbi will now be hoping that his midfield is stronger for the upcoming Premier League campaign after splashing out £185m on two new stars.

Why Sandro Tonali may not be worth £100m for Spurs

Paying a fee of £100m to sign Tonali, who finished in the bottom half of the table with the Magpies, may not age well if he carries over his performances from last season.

A club-record fee should be enough to sign a player who makes a significant impact either defensively or offensively, but the Italian star is more of an all-rounder who is not exceptional at any particular part of the game.

In the 2025/26 campaign, Tonali did not score any goals in the Premier League and only provided his teammates with two assists in 35 appearances, rarely contributing in the final third for his side.

He also only averaged one tackle made per game and won just over half of his ground duels and exactly half of his aerial battles, which means that he was fairly average out of possession.

That does not mean that Tonali will be a bad player for Spurs, because he is an all-rounder who can offer solid performances, but the £100m fee may look steep if he continues to be less than exceptional defensively and offensively.

Spurs in talks to sign a star who offers more than Sandro Tonali

Whilst it cost nine figures to sign the Italian star from their Premier League rivals, the club could make an even better signing for a fraction of the cost from another team in the division.

AS Roma Live reports that Tottenham Hotspur are in ‘concrete’ talks over a potential deal to sign Manchester United attacker Marcus Rashford before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that Napoli and Roma were approached about a move for the England international, but they have been put off by his £7.1m-per-season wage.

It adds that the winger could be available after Barcelona opted against exercising their option to sign him permanently for £26m, and Spurs are now making moves to bring him to North London.

If Tottenham can agree a deal to sign him from the Red Devils, Rashford would walk in as a much better left wing option than Mathys Tel, based on their respective outputs at league level in the 2025/26 campaign.

Whilst Tonali does not look set to be an outstanding contributor in any particular phase of the game for Spurs, the former Barcelona loanee could be a difference-maker on a regular basis in the final third.

Rashford racked up 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions for the Spanish giants last term, more than any Spurs player managed, and could arrive to be De Zerbi’s most exciting and productive forward player.

The 28-year-old star has also scored one goal at the World Cup for England so far this summer and may feature in the quarter-final clash with Norway on Saturday, which may delay any potential move to Tottenham.

Rashford is, of course, also a proven talent in English football, with seven seasons of hitting double figures for goals, including three seasons with 20 or more goals for Manchester United.

He has the quality to win matches on his own with his goals and assists, as evidenced by his form in England and in Spain last season, whilst Tonali’s form for Newcastle does not suggest that he can do that on a regular basis.

Therefore, Spurs could seal an even better signing than Tonali for almost a quarter of the price by paying £26m to bring Rashford to London this summer.