Tottenham have completed an agreement to sign Savinho from Manchester City in a deal worth up to £85m, with the Brazil winger set to undergo a medical on Friday afternoon before the move is finalised.
The transfer is structured as an initial £75m payment, with a further £10m available through add-ons. Of that additional sum, £5m is understood to be effectively guaranteed, meaning City’s eventual return from the sale could reach at least £80m.
A club-record sale for City
Should the move go through as expected, it would become Manchester City’s record sale, overtaking the £82m they received from Atletico Madrid for Julian Alvarez in the summer of 2024.
Savinho, 22, joined City in 2024 but never established himself as a regular starter. He made 24 Premier League appearances last season but started only seven of them, contributing one goal and two assists across the campaign.
Marmoush talks progressing, not yet done
Tottenham are also working on a separate deal for City forward Omar Marmoush, with negotiations described as advanced and moving in the right direction. The Egypt international is said to be on board with a switch to north London, though unlike the Savinho transfer, that deal has not been confirmed as agreed.
Why Savinho wanted out
Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca has confirmed the winger made his intentions clear from the outset of the summer. Asked about efforts to keep him at the club, Maresca said it becomes “complicated” to change a player’s mind once he has decided to leave.
“It is quite clear when the player wants to leave, then it is complicated to convince them to stay,” Maresca said. “It happened with Rodri and the same thing is happening with Savinho. Since day one, he has asked me that he wants to leave. So now we are waiting. But it’s complicated.”
Maresca added that players in that position are often chasing “a new challenge”, a return to Spain, or simply more regular football than City could offer.
Sky Sports News’ Ben Ransom said both Savinho and Marmoush had effectively become surplus at the Etihad this summer. “Both players are essentially surplus to requirements at Manchester City,” Ransom said. “Enzo Maresca has said that in the case of both players, they are very much entitled to stay and fight for their first-team place. But equally he understands… when a player wants to play first-team football and they’re not guaranteed the starting shirt, then the club, if they receive an offer that’s acceptable, will not stand in their way.”
Ransom noted City would want to replace both departures if possible, though the timing makes that difficult. “The transfer window is closing in less than a fortnight,” he said. “These are big positions to fill so late in the window.”
Part of a bigger spending spree
The Savinho deal is the latest in a summer of heavy investment at Tottenham, who have now committed more than £200m to six first-team signings.
- Sandro Tonali and Matheus Fernandes arrived from Newcastle and West Ham respectively for a combined £185m.
- Jan Paul van Hecke joined from Brighton for £52m as a replacement for Cristian Romero.
- Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka all signed on free transfers.
Sky Sports News’ Michael Bridge explained earlier in the window how the club is funding this level of spending without falling foul of financial regulations. “The club is in great financial health after qualifying for Europe in 18 of the last 20 seasons,” Bridge said. “The revenue driven by the stadium is huge: boxing, concerts, NFL games — you name it. In fact, in the Deloitte Money League, the rankings show that Tottenham Hotspur have leapfrogged Chelsea to become the ninth richest club in the world with annual revenues of £549.2m.”
Bridge also pointed to the Premier League’s move from profit and sustainability rules to a squad cost ratio system, which he said benefits Spurs, alongside a change in approach since Daniel Levy’s departure at the start of last season. “There’s a real desire to spend the money to dine at the very top table,” he said, adding that the ownership had promised fans they would reinvest revenue into the first team after avoiding relegation on the final day of the previous season — a promise Bridge says they are “delivering on”.
