Lucas Bergvall hands in Tottenham transfer request as Sandro Tonali chase heats up

Tottenham Hotspur were already fairly determined to sign Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali this summer, but they've now been handed an extra incentive.

Spurs aren't relying on player exits to fund their move for £100 million-rated Sandro Tonali, but after having had a £75 million bid rejected already, they may be starting to consider ways to offset the huge outlay.

Tottenham are backing Roberto De Zerbi to the hilt this summer and have already signed off on some big deals, while Tonali is on the list along with Mateus Fernandes from West Ham.

The competition in the midfield has already given 20-year-old Sweden star Lucas Bergvall plenty to think about, but with Tonali and Fernandes possibly incoming too, Bergvall has made his intentions clear to the Spurs hierarchy - he wants out.

Lucas Bergvall has a £45m price tag

Spurs are expected to want £45 million for the Swede, according to The Chronicle, which claims that Nottingham Forest, Chelsea (obviously) and Aston Villa are all keen.

Bergvall has been impressive for Sweden at the World Cup, racking up an assist in the 5-1 win over Tunisia.

Should Spurs get the £45 million they feel he's worth, then that will no doubt help them to increase their bid for Sandro Tonali.

Why aren't Newcastle using Bergvall's situation to their advantage?

Our question is, why doesn't Newcastle ask for Bergvall as part of the deal? He's not a like-for-like replacement by any means, but he's six years younger than Tonali and has bags of talent. 

Newcastle's whole philosophy now is to sign younger players to develop, and Bergvall is certainly in that category. He also has the advantage of already having Premier League experience, so he is ready to go.

Whether Newcastle can offer him a guaranteed place in the starting lineup, which is why he wants to leave Tottenham, that could be the problem. But will Chelsea or Aston Villa be able to offer that either? Nottingham Forest may be able to, especially if Elliot Anderson is sold, but surely Newcastle is the better option of the two.

A couple of us at Blog Towers are big fans of Bergvall and feel this deal makes a lot of sense. What are your thoughts? Does he have what it takes to be a success at Newcastle?