Tottenham's Ambitious Double Swoop for Savinho and Marmoush
Tottenham are on the brink of a stunning double swoop from Manchester City, closing in on deals for Savinho and Omar Marmoush as their remarkable summer spending shows no sign of slowing.
Spurs have agreed an £85m package for Savinho, with £75m to be paid up front and a further £10m tied up in add-ons. At least £5m of those bonuses are viewed as virtually guaranteed, meaning City are set to bank a minimum of £80m for a player who never truly nailed down a starting spot at the Etihad.
The 22-year-old Brazil international is due in north London for a medical on Friday afternoon, a key step towards what would be a club-record sale for City. The fee surpasses the £82m Atletico Madrid paid for Julian Alvarez in the summer of 2024.
Spurs push on for Marmoush
Savinho may not be arriving alone.
Tottenham are also deep in talks for City forward Omar Marmoush, with negotiations described as advanced and moving positively. The Egypt international is understood to be fully on board with the move and ready to make the switch to north London if the clubs finalise terms.
For City, both players are available. For Spurs, they are the latest pieces in an aggressive rebuild.
A £200m statement summer
Tottenham have already gone past the £200m mark on first-team signings in this window alone.
Two big-money midfielders set the tone: Sandro Tonali from Newcastle and Matheus Fernandes from West Ham, a combined outlay of £185m to reshape the spine of the side.
At the back, Jan Paul van Hecke has arrived from Brighton for £52m, brought in as the direct replacement for Cristian Romero.
Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all joined on free transfers, further swelling a squad that has been rapidly overhauled under the club’s new leadership.
The message is clear: Tottenham intend to spend their way back to the elite.
Why Spurs can spend – and keep spending
Questions about how Spurs are able to fund such a spree have followed each new arrival. Inside the club, there is little concern.
As Sky Sports News’ Michael Bridge outlined at the start of the window, Tottenham believe they are operating well within the Premier League’s financial rules. The club has qualified for European competition in 18 of the last 20 seasons, building a financial platform few in England can match.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has become a money machine: Premier League football, boxing, concerts, NFL games. The events calendar is relentless, and so is the revenue.
The Deloitte Money League underlines that strength. Tottenham have overtaken Chelsea to become the ninth richest club in the world, posting annual revenues of £549.2m.
The recent shift in the Premier League’s regulations from PSR to a squad cost ratio model has also favoured Spurs. They are one of the clubs best placed to exploit the new landscape.
But the real change is strategic. Daniel Levy’s departure at the start of last season opened the door to a new, more aggressive approach from the hierarchy. After narrowly avoiding relegation on the final day, the owners vowed to pour the club’s income into the first team.
This summer, that promise is being cashed in.
Maresca: Savinho wanted out “since day one”
On the other side of the deal, Enzo Maresca is facing a very different kind of summer at Manchester City.
The new City head coach is preparing for his first season in charge after the departure of Pep Guardiola, the architect of the club’s most successful era. Key figures have already gone. Ballon d'Or and World Cup-winning midfielder Rodri has joined Barcelona, ripping out the heart of City’s midfield.
Now Savinho is heading for the exit too.
Maresca has been blunt about the Brazilian’s stance.
“It is quite clear when the player wants to leave, then it is complicated to convince them to stay,” he said, explaining that the same dynamic applied to both Rodri and Savinho.
“Since day one, he has asked me that he wants to leave. So now we are waiting. But it's complicated.
“When the player is thinking that they need a new challenge, or they want to change because they probably want to go back to Spain, or they want to play more minutes or for a different reason. It becomes complicated then to convince them to stay.”
Savinho’s desire for a bigger role is understandable. Last season he started only seven of his 24 Premier League appearances, scoring once and providing two assists. A bit-part player at City, he is being paid like a star by Spurs.
City’s late-window problem
For Manchester City, the exits create a different kind of pressure.
Sky Sports News’ Ben Ransom has been clear that both Savinho and Marmoush are essentially surplus to requirements at the Etihad. Maresca has said they were welcome to stay and fight for their place, but he also recognises the reality when a player wants guaranteed minutes.
As with James Trafford before them, City will not block a move if a suitable offer lands on the table.
Ransom expects City to act.
“City would need to replace these players. They would definitely, I'd say, have to replace one. They would like to and would aim to replace two,” he explained.
The clock, though, is ticking. The transfer window closes in less than a fortnight, and these are not fringe positions. They are attacking roles in a squad that has already lost Rodri and could soon be without two more forwards.
Tottenham, meanwhile, are racing to get Savinho through his medical and Marmoush over the line. The money is flowing, the strategy is bold, and the squad is being rebuilt at speed.
If both deals land, the question will not be how Spurs can afford this. It will be whether this new-look, heavily backed Tottenham side can finally turn financial muscle into major trophies.
