Savinho Skips City Training as Tottenham Pursues £70m Move
Savinho was missing from Manchester City’s open training session on Thursday. On the surface, the club put it down to illness. Behind the scenes, the transfer story that has rumbled on for more than a year is reaching a critical stage.
Tottenham Hotspur have chased the Brazil international for over 12 months. They failed to get him through the door last summer. This time, they intend to close.
Roberto De Zerbi has given the move his approval. The new Spurs head coach wants at least two attackers in before the 1 September deadline, and Savinho is firmly on that list. Not just a recruitment department fancy – a manager-backed target.
The plot thickened on Thursday afternoon. Fabrizio Romano reported on X that Savinho has again told City this week he wants to leave and join Tottenham. The message from the player is clear: his future, he believes, lies in north London.
Romano has spoken in recent weeks of a “very good chance” of the winger ending up at Spurs. The catch is familiar to anyone who has watched City operate in the market. They want a replacement in place before they sanction the sale, just as with Tottenham’s other major attacking target, Cody Gakpo at Liverpool.
Even so, momentum is building. A well-placed Tottenham source on X has claimed in the last 24 hours that the Savinho deal is expected to reach a positive conclusion within the next week. The projected fee? Around £70m.
Big backing for De Zerbi – but is £70m too much?
Tottenham have already shown they are prepared to spend heavily to accelerate De Zerbi’s rebuild and drag the club back up the Premier League after back-to-back 17th-place finishes. They smashed through the market noise to land Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali from West Ham United and Newcastle United respectively, paying a combined £185m.
Savinho, though, is a different type of gamble.
City signed him from Girona for £30m two years ago. Since then, he has made 84 appearances for the eight-time Premier League champions. Respectable volume, but the output has not been spectacular, and he never truly nailed down a guaranteed starting role under Pep Guardiola.
New City boss Enzo Maresca appears ready to move on without him. That alone will make some Spurs supporters pause when they hear the £70m figure.
Savinho clearly owns a high ceiling – you do not last at City without serious talent – but his body of work so far does not scream “£70m certainty”. The question is whether a change of scenery and a coach who clearly believes in him can unlock a level he has not yet consistently reached.
Tottenham are betting that regular football, a central role and De Zerbi’s attacking framework will turn potential into production. Right now, though, judged purely on past performances and current market context, it looks like Spurs are paying top-tier money for a player who still has plenty to prove.
If the deal goes through at that price, Savinho will not just be another signing. He will become a litmus test for Tottenham’s new era: are they boldly ahead of the curve, or paying tomorrow’s price for today’s promise?
