Sandro Tonali is undergoing a medical at Tottenham Hotspur ahead of a club-record £100 million move from Newcastle United — a signing that underscores just how ambitiously head coach Roberto De Zerbi is reshaping this squad.

At 26, Tonali arrives as the sixth and most expensive summer signing under De Zerbi. While fellow midfield recruit Mateus Fernandes, 21, is still establishing himself at the top level, Tonali is already there — a box-to-box operator entering his peak years and regarded among Europe's elite at his position.

A personal connection to De Zerbi

The transfer is not purely transactional. Tonali grew up playing football in the orbit of Brescia, the same city where De Zerbi was raised, and the head coach played an active role in convincing him to move to north London.