Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the signing of Manchester City winger Savinho, with the deal expected to be worth in the region of £70 million, according to a Spurs insider.
Savinho scored just one Premier League goal for the Citizens last season, as he was kept on the periphery of Pep Guardiola's squad. Enzo Maresca's arrival doesn't appear to have changed the Brazilian's status at the Etihad, and this has subsequently prompted the wide man to push for an exit.
Spurs have emerged as the frontrunners in the race to land Savinho, and this protracted saga may now finally be approaching its end.
An agreement is said to be close, with a consensus between all the relevant parties likely to be reached by the end of next week.
Roberto De Zerbi Wants Savinho Available for Premier League Opener
Spurs' rampant summer is set to continue with another significant acquisition. Sandro Tonali has already joined from Newcastle United for £100 million, while Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke's arrivals bring their spending up to £237 million for the summer so far.
This figure is set to eclipse the £300 million mark, with the transfer fee for Savinho expected to reach around £70 million.
The saga around the Etihad's forgotten man has dragged on for some time now, but he's finally on the cusp of securing a move to his new home.
A top Spurs source on X has now revealed that the agreement is 'close', with Roberto De Zerbi pushing for the deal to be completed so that the player is available for selection for the start of the Premier League season.
Spurs kick their new season off next Saturday when they travel to West London to take on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Assuming Savinho completes his medical and signs the relevant paperwork near the start of next week, there's no reason why he couldn't make the squad for this opening fixture.
Savinho's Statistics Should Excite Tottenham Fans
On the surface, the signing of a winger who scored one Premier League goal last season and who was ousted to a squad role at City might not excite Spurs supporters.
However, Savinho's encouraging underlying numbers suggest that he might actually be undervalued, and that he could be primed to explode if he's put in the right environment.
As shown by the data above, Savinho's debut campaign at City was promising, and led to him being labelled 'extraordinary' by Pep Guradiola. He was a genuine goal threat but endured a rough finishing streak, while he was creative and a prolific dribbler.
With De Zerbi excellent at platforming wide men with talent, Savinho might just be able to recreate this positive form and go up another level as the main man in Spurs' attack.