Tottenham Targets Savinho as Manchester City Prepares for Replacement
Tottenham Hotspur are moving back into territory they know well: a hard, expensive chase for a wide forward they believe can change the face of their attack. This time, the name at the top of the list is Savinho – and Manchester City are already working on his replacement.
Spurs first tried to prise the Brazilian away from City last summer, testing the waters with a proposal worth around £60million. The answer was firm. City had no intention of selling and, on paper at least, Savinho’s future lay in Manchester.
There was even a contingency plan in the background. City explored the idea of bringing in Real Madrid’s Rodrygo as a potential successor to his compatriot, only for both ideas to stall. Rodrygo stayed put. Savinho stayed, too.
He did more than that. Despite feeling underused by Pep Guardiola and keen to play a leading role elsewhere, the 22-year-old signed a new six-year contract at the Etihad, a statement deal that briefly smothered the noise around him. For a while, it looked as if Tottenham’s window of opportunity had shut.
It didn’t. It just paused.
In recent months Spurs have gone back in, re-igniting a pursuit they never fully parked. On Thursday, transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano underlined where their priorities lie, dismissing talk of a move for Napoli’s Antonio Vergara and making it clear that the London club’s focus is fixed on one man.
Romano stressed that Vergara is set to sign a new contract at Napoli, with a pay rise attached, and that he has never been on Tottenham’s list – not in May, not in June, not now. The winger Ange Postecoglou wants is Savinho. Everything else is background noise.
The pressure finally told.
According to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, Spurs are now edging towards the finish line, with City preparing to cash in for around £65m. It would represent a slight increase on last year’s figure and a major show of faith from Tottenham in a player who has long been eager to make north London his stage.
Savinho’s stance helps. He is described as keen on the move and ready to agree personal terms, a combination that should keep the process moving at pace. No drawn-out saga, no endless brinkmanship – if all goes to plan, this is a deal that can be wrapped up quickly.
City, for their part, are already looking at what comes next.
Jones reports that the Premier League champions have turned their attention to Paris Saint-Germain’s Ibrahim Mbaye, one of the brightest young wingers on the market. The 18-year-old caught the eye with Senegal at the World Cup and is now ready to leave PSG, aware that his path to regular minutes is narrowing at a club stacked with attacking options.
He is being represented by Jorge Mendes, a detail that usually signals serious movement at the top end of the game. City are not alone in watching him. Aston Villa, Tottenham and RB Leipzig are also monitoring the situation, but City’s need becomes more acute as Savinho’s exit edges closer.
They had already asked about Rodrygo at Real Madrid last year, testing the waters for another marquee Brazilian wide man, yet their recruitment net remains wide. Mbaye is one of several options, but the logic is clear: sell Savinho at peak value, reinvest in the next wave.
For Spurs, the decision to push so hard for Savinho comes against a backdrop of other big-name links.
Cody Gakpo’s name has been in the frame, yet Liverpool have shut that door firmly for this summer. They want to strengthen their own wide areas, not strip them back, and have no intention of letting the Dutchman go.
Rafael Leao, meanwhile, has loomed as the more glamorous alternative. On July 5 it emerged that the AC Milan star had given the green light to a potential move to Tottenham in a deal worth around €50m (£42m). Under normal circumstances, a player of Leao’s calibre and profile saying “yes” would trigger a full-scale offensive.
Instead, Spurs have kept their eyes trained on Savinho.
It is a telling choice. Leao offers power, chaos, and star wattage. Gakpo brings versatility and end-product. Yet Tottenham’s recruitment team, aligned with Postecoglou’s high-tempo, front-foot football, seem convinced that Savinho is the winger who best fits the project they are building.
If they are right, £65m buys them more than just another wide player. It buys them a cornerstone of the next phase at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – and forces Manchester City to gamble on the next young winger they believe can keep their own era rolling.
