Arsenal turned down the chance to sign Sandro Tonali before Spurs agreed a £100m deal for the Newcastle United midfielder, according to a report.
On Wednesday, David Ornstein broke the news for The Athletic that Tottenham Hotspur had agreed a club-record £100m transfer fee for the signing of Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United.
Spurs will pay an initial £92.5m, with an additional £7.5m in add-ons. Though given those add-ons are based on Champions League qualifications, they might never be paid.
Tonali is expected to sign a six-year contract with Spurs, and he’ll arrive in England on Thursday afternoon for his medical.
Arsenal had been linked with Tonali earlier in the transfer window, but those links had long since faded away.
Lee Ryder reports that the Gunners turned down the chance to sign Tonali after becoming aware of his wage demands and the agent fees involved, and that was obviously before it became clear the midfielder would also cost £100m.
Sami Mokbel confirmed for the BBC earlier this week that Tonali’s price was believed to be a stumbling block to any Arsenal move. James McNicholas had similarly claimed the signing may prove prohibitively expensive to the Gunners.
So with the player’s wages, the agent fees, and the price all beyond what Arsenal wanted to pay, it’s little surprise they didn’t ever formalise their initial interest.
Luke Edwards reported for The Telegraph that Tonali would have preferred a move to Arsenal or Manchester City over Spurs, but Spurs were obviously the only option for him to leave Newcastle in the end.
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