Spurs are in talks to close the £40m signing ASAP alongside Tonali

It has been a tense start to the transfer window for Tottenham Hotspur, although there will be those who will be wary of a repeat of last summer, as the Lilywhites were hit hard by a string of marquee goals.

From Morgan Gibbs-White to Eberechi Eze, and from Antoine Semenyo to Bryan Mbeumo, it was almost a stroke of luck for the manager at the time, Thomas Frank, who was always pointed to the front in recruitment.

Will it be the same story between Roberto De Zerbi’s pursuit of Sandro Tonali? The word is that even though we are chasing the contract of England star Elliot Anderson, his rivals Manchester City may also be ready to make a move for this Italian player.

City could agree two £100m-plus deals for that midfield pair, boasting a financial strength few other clubs in Europe can match.

Tonali may end up at the Etihad, but Spurs will not lose hope just yet, with the north London club also looking at other targets anyway.

Spurs are opening talks to sign a £40m signing this summer

What City’s interest in the Tonali rivalry means remains to be seen, as reports earlier this week revealed that Spurs had agreed a deal for the 26-year-old.

The North Londoners appear keen to pursue Premier League-proven options, such as Tonali, with the ongoing pursuit of Brazilian defender Savinho from the Manchester side.

Additions to the side appear to be a priority following a turbulent season in that department, as the club’s attacking options have fallen short amid a poor campaign in the top flight.

That has led the ENIC regime to reconsider its options abroad, with TEAMtalk reporting that Spurs have opened talks ahead of a potential move for Koln star Said El Mala.

The report suggests the Lilywhites are hoping to beat Newcastle United to his signature by agreeing to sign the 19-year-old’s older brother, Malek – the 21-year-old is also on the books at the Bundesliga club.

There is said to be a ‘good idea’ that a deal for the youngster – likely to fetch around £40m – could be agreed ‘in the coming weeks’, with El Mala seemingly open to a move to the Premier League.

Why El Mala could be another Son in the making at Spurs

There was no significant source of blame in N17 last season, with problems erupting across the park to push the club to the brink of relegation.

The other area that suffered the most was the attacking unit, however, with Richarlison at his best, and the goalscoring total, one of the few to at least record a creditable release in the top flight.

Quality and consistency in the side has been lacking, as Spurs are yet to find a genuine replacement for Heung-min Son at left-back, the South Korean, even in his prime, having scored and assisted 16 league goals in 2024/25.

Released from Bayer Leverkusen ten years ago, the unknown talent emerged as a star in north London, taking on talismanic status after Harry Kane’s exit in 2023.

The hope will be that El Mala, also an up-and-comer in German football, can enjoy a similar rise if a deal is agreed, as the youngster was in scintillating form last season.

Like Son, the young German is a left winger by trade but can also be deployed in the middle, who seems to be woefully ineffective wherever he meets.

Indeed, in 2025/26, the £40m star has scored 13 goals and provided four assists in the Bundesliga, which is an impressive figure given that he actually only started 20 games.

Such a record is not too dissimilar to what Son achieved in his Leverkusen days, with the midfielder scoring 11 goals and assisting one Bundesliga goal in 2014/15, with 14 goals and an assist in 2013/14.

Before last season again, El Mala was active in the third tier of German football, scoring 12 goals in 2024/25, which proved to be a real breakout year in the last 12 months.

He missed 17 ‘big chances’, yet created eight, all while hitting the net at an impressive rate of one goal every 151 minutes, boasting a 17% rate.

He has been the best of all Spurs players in terms of goals and total goal involvement, for a fee of £40m which seems like a bargain for a player of incredible skill.

Like Son before him, El Mala feels like a talent waiting to explode in the coming years, and North London is perhaps the perfect platform for his stock to really rise.