Savinho Pushes for Tottenham Move Amid City Fee Standoff

Savinho has made his choice. Now he is waiting for Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur to catch up with it.

The 22-year-old Brazil international has told City he wants out this summer and wants in at Spurs, where Roberto De Zerbi is the key pull. Personal terms are already agreed with Tottenham, according to Fabrizio Romano. The player is ready. The clubs are not.

From Girona breakout to City bottleneck

Savinho arrived at the Etihad in 2024 from within the City Football Group network, his reputation supercharged by a breakout loan spell at Girona in La Liga. That season in Spain turned him from a promising winger into one of the most talked-about young wide forwards in Europe.

City looked like the logical next step. The reality has been more complicated.

Across two seasons under Pep Guardiola, Savinho offered flashes of real quality but never quite broke through the logjam of attacking options. In the 2025-26 campaign he managed just 24 appearances in all competitions, a number that underlined his status on the fringes rather than at the heart of Guardiola’s plans.

For a 22-year-old who thrives on rhythm, repetition and responsibility, that sporadic role has proved a problem.

De Zerbi factor pulls hard

The landscape at City has shifted again with Enzo Maresca’s arrival and an already packed group of wide forwards heading into the new season. Instead of a fresh opportunity, it has looked more like another queue to join.

Savinho has decided he does not want to stand in line.

He submitted a transfer request earlier in the summer, forcing the issue and pushing City to consider a sale. Director of football Hugo Viana has been in talks over a potential deal as the club look to bring in funds and clear a squad slot before the window shuts.

Tottenham are at the front of the line, with Italian clubs also circling. Yet it is Spurs that Savinho wants, and the reason is clear: De Zerbi.

The Italian’s expansive, front-foot football is seen inside the Savinho camp as an ideal fit for his profile – a wide forward who wants space, responsibility and licence to attack. His time at City did not consistently lean into those strengths. A move to north London, under a coach who builds his game around brave, attacking patterns, is viewed as the platform he needs to truly establish himself at the top level.

That belief has translated into action. Personal terms with Spurs are agreed, Romano reports, and Savinho’s desire to join “as soon as possible” has been made abundantly clear.

City dig in over price

Desire, though, does not dictate the fee.

City tied Savinho to a long-term contract running until 2031 when they signed him, a deal that hands them significant leverage. They have no intention of being rushed into accepting a cut-price offer simply because the player has asked to leave.

Romano’s description of the clubs being “pretty far apart” on valuation is telling. This is not a negotiation in its final stretch. It is a stand-off.

City know they have already committed major resources this summer, including the signing of Elliot Anderson, and a substantial fee for Savinho would give Viana more freedom to address other areas of the squad before the deadline. That financial context strengthens their resolve: if they are to lose a young winger with Savinho’s upside, they want full value.

Tottenham, for their part, know the player is pushing hard for the move. That usually turns the screw on the selling club. Here, it only goes so far. A contract to 2031 means City can afford to wait, or at least to pretend they can.

Impasse with a clock ticking

So the situation hangs.

Savinho wants De Zerbi. De Zerbi wants another dynamic wide option for his attacking blueprint. Spurs have the personal terms in place. City have the contract, the leverage and the price tag.

Something has to give before the window closes. The question now is simple: who blinks first?