Tottenham Hotspur’s first attempt to sign Sandro Tonali has been knocked back, with Newcastle United holding firm on their valuation.Tottenham Hotspur have been pushing hard to sign Sandro Tonali over the last few days, with the Newcastle United star emerging as Roberto De Zerbi’s priority midfield target this summer.The Italy international is believed to be open to a move to North London and keen on the prospect of working under De Zerbi. Very few midfielders in world football possess Tonali’s blend of technical quality, versatility and ability to control matches from deep areas, which explains why the Spurs head coach is so eager to bring him to N17.It also explains why Newcastle have placed such a huge valuation on the midfielder. The Magpies are understood to value Tonali at around £100m and have made it clear that only offers in that region would tempt them into discussions.Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesNewcastle reject Tottenham’s opening Sandro Tonali offerFabrizio Romano previously described the possibility of seeing Tonali in a Tottenham shirt as “very concrete and serious”, despite the fact that no formal approach had been made to Newcastle at the time.That changed when David Ornstein revealed a few hours ago that Tottenham had officially opened talks with Newcastle over a deal for the midfielder. However, according to Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie, Tottenham’s opening offer, which was reported to be around £80m has been immediately rejected by Newcastle.🚨 EXCL: Newcastle United have REJECTED an offer of around £80m from Tottenham for Sandro Tonali. ❌ Spurs’ offer for Tonali landed earlier this week and was knocked back by Newcastle — immediately. ✍🏼 Man City are also very keen on the midfielder, but are prioritising their… pic.twitter.com/PwA01AGqjR— Keith Downie (@SkySports_Keith) June 20, 2026This comes after other reports suggesting Spurs had bid £65m, whereas the Magpies were seeking £74m, leaving a gap of £9m between the two clubs’ current valuations.Newcastle’s stance is hardly surprising given the midfielder remains one of the club’s key players and continues to attract interest from several major clubs across Europe.Manchester City are understood to be monitoring the situation closely, although their primary midfield target remains Elliot Anderson. Arsenal and AC Milan have also been credited with interest in the Italian.Sandro Tonali’s preferred destination remains unclearOne of the more interesting aspects of this saga is the conflicting reports surrounding where Tonali would ideally like to play next season.SportsBoom recently claimed that Arsenal are viewed as the midfielder’s preferred destination, with Tonali said to hold Mikel Arteta in high regard. The report suggests that if both North London clubs were to agree deals with Newcastle, Arsenal could hold an advantage.However, The Athletic’s reporting suggests Tottenham believe De Zerbi’s influence and a significant financial package could all help swing the race in their favour.Arsenal explored the possibility of signing Tonali earlier this year but Newcastle were unwilling to entertain offers during the latter stages of the winter window.For now, one can expect Tottenham to return with an improved proposal. With only a relatively small gap separating the two clubs’ valuations, Spurs will hope further negotiations can move the deal closer to a breakthrough, particularly as Newcastle remain mindful of financial regulations and squad cost controls.READ MORE: ‘Sandro Tonali is not going to sign for Tottenham’ – Simon Jordan says Spurs are not a step upThe post Tottenham submit £80m opening bid for Sandro Tonali and Newcastle have responded appeared first on Spurs Web.