Tottenham are working on Sandro Tonali, while Manchester United are still in the fight for Mateus Fernandes. Fabrizio Romano says both clubs are talking to Fernandes, with Spurs pushing to close while United remain involved. West Ham are said to want £85m for the midfielder, which has helped turn this into a very live summer battle.
Tottenham's wider midfield plan
Romano also says Tottenham are still working on Tonali. Newcastle had an £80m bid for Tonali turned down, and they want at least £100m for him now, so the price on that side is not exactly encouraging for anyone trying to move quickly.
Tonali's recent output is solid rather than spectacular. He averaged 6.94 across his last five Premier League matches, played 83 minutes per game, and Newcastle's record with him in the side over that same stretch was 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. That is the profile Tottenham are chasing: a midfielder already trusted to play big minutes, not a project.
Fernandes and why he fits the brief
The Fernandes case is built on a more defensive profile. He averaged 2.9 tackles per game, compared with Alex Scott's 1.6, and he made 43.4 passes per game at an 87.5% completion rate. He also covered 279.3km, which put him in the Premier League top 10.
Those numbers match the scouting view quoted by Simon Rusk, who described him as an all-round midfielder with strength, tenacity and an engine. Thomas Tuchel also praised Alex Scott's reaction to missing the first England cut, but the Fernandes argument is about work without the ball as much as quality on it. If Tottenham and United are shopping for a midfielder who can carry both load and discipline, Fernandes looks like the cleaner fit.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →