Tottenham's dual pursuit of Tonali and Savinho could trigger £200m City transfer reshuffle

Tottenham’s surprise interest in Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali and Manchester City winger Savinho has thrown a significant wrench into City’s summer transfer planning, with a potential £200m-plus domino effect now in motion.

City entered the window with a clear priority: sign a central midfielder to replace Bernardo Silva. Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson remains the club’s top target for that role, but Sandro Tonali has also been identified as a candidate. Newcastle are understood to value the Italian at no less than £100m, and City have been among the clubs weighing up a move — though it is considered highly unlikely they would spend more than £200m on two central midfielders in a single window.

The complication arrives in the form of Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham. Spurs are now understood to be pursuing Tonali as a cornerstone of their rebuild, and while their absence from the Champions League makes them an unlikely destination, the competition changes the dynamic. It also has a direct knock-on effect for Savinho.

Tottenham have held long-standing interest in the 22-year-old Brazilian winger, who has struggled to establish himself under Pep Guardiola since arriving at the Etihad in 2024. A £60m bid is believed to be sufficient to secure his departure, a figure City would welcome given the profit it would represent. The club used affiliates Troyes and Girona to facilitate his original signing, and the valuation reflects that wider investment.

The question now is whether Spurs can complete deals for both players. If they do, the ripple effects extend beyond City. A Tonali exit from Newcastle would open the door for the Magpies to pursue City goalkeeper James Trafford, who acknowledged during the World Cup that he may need to find regular first-team football to protect his international prospects. Trafford returned to the Etihad this summer expecting to be first choice, only for the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma to alter the picture entirely.

For City, the priority remains Anderson, and any move for Tonali would not be contingent on that deal. But with Tottenham now active across multiple fronts, the Blues find themselves in a waiting game at the very start of the window — watching where the pieces fall before committing their own.