REPORT: Tottenham have second £75m offer for Sandro Tonali refused by Newcastle

OK, take this rumor with the (admittedly large) caveat that it’s from the Daily Mail. Craig Hope of the Mail is reporting that Spurs have now had two transfer offers for Sandro Tonali rebuffed by Newcastle United. The kicker? Both bids were the same price — £75m. Newcastle are said to be demanding £100m to let Tonali go.

Now — a reminder, this is coming from the Daily Mail. We don’t usually put much stock in Mail rumors and for good reason, but the transfer window is open and sometimes in that regard our standards tend to… relax on that front here at Carty Free Towers.

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So — and hear me out here — for now let’s take this rumor at face value. It is objectively hilarious that Tottenham apparently submitted a bid, had it rejected, came back by offering the exact same bid and having it rejected again. It reminds me a little of what Daniel Levy used to do, or at least what we would pretend Daniel Levy would do in transfer negotiations before he was shot out of a cannon by the Lewis Kids.

Now, I’ve said before, and I hold to this opinion, that there is no way on God’s green earth that Sandro Tonali is worth £100m. He’s a good player. He’d be our best midfielder by some distance. But he’s an upgrade on the midfielder profile that we already have multiple of, and despite Roberto De Zerbi really liking him I don’t think the opportunity cost is there to make that kind of an outlay on him.

What this story tells me is that Tottenham doesn’t think that kind of opportunity cost exists either, and that’s a good sign. Perhaps it means that we pivot to other targets (o hai Adam Wharton) and move on from Tonali. That’d be an okay outcome for me as well, since spending £75m on Wharton would be a more impactful signing, in my opinion. But that’s just my opinion.

Again, this is a Daily Mail rumor. But I wonder if this will corroborated by other more trustworthy sources in the coming hours. If it is corroborated, it’s both a strangely positive and also objectively hilarious situation. And ultimately it could result in Spurs failing their way into a midfielder who is a better fit.