Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made his opinion on Savinho abundantly clear amid claims that Tottenham Hotspur have had two bids rejected, as a football finance expert analyses how Spurs chairman Daniel Levy could fund the deal.
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is on the hunt for attacking players before the summer transfer window closes on September 1, with Son Heung-min having left for Los Angeles FC and James Maddison out of action for months due to a serious injury.
Tottenham are actively in talks with Crystal Palace for Eberechi Eze and are also aiming to sign Savinho from Man City.
Spurs, who won the Europa League last season and qualified for the 2025/26 Champions League, have had two bids for the Brazil international winger turned down.
Trusted journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on X on August 11 that Tottenham’s initial €50m (£43m, $58.5m) bid for Savinho was rejected.
According to GE Globo, Tottenham subsequently made a second offer of €70m (£60.3m) $81.8m) for the 21-year-old; Man City turned it down as well.
Man City manager Guardiola has broken his silence on the future of Savinho.
The Cityzens will take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux on Saturday in their opening Premier League game of the season.
Ahead of the match, Guardiola gave a media briefing on Saturday, where the Man City boss said that he wants Savinho to stay, adding that the youngster is injured and will be out of action for a few weeks due to injury.
The Manchester Evening News quotes Guardiola as saying about Savinho: “Whether it’s Tottenham in that case or any other club, a player should call the club.
“I am only concerned right now that Savinho will be with us for the rest of the season and hopefully many years because at 21 with the potential he has he has to improve in final positions but he is an extraordinary player.
“Otherwise, he would not have played more than 3,000 minutes last season. At the end, as always, the desire of the players is above everything but then they have to find an agreement with the club.
“If they don’t take an agreement, the player will be here because the club spends money on those players.”
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Savinho ‘a big commitment’ for Tottenham
Tottenham are a wealthy club, and in recent years, they have not been shy of splashing the cash to sign big-name players.
Football finance expert, Dan Plumley, believes that Tottenham have the funds to go big on Savinho, noting that they will have Champions League money coming in this summer.
Plumley told Tottenham Hotspur News: “It’s a big commitment, for sure, but again, Spurs are one of those clubs that can always spend,” he said.
“We’ve said this time and time again, there’s no issue with them spending if they want to, new manager coming in, Champions League football, and also what’s happened in the context of the pre-season, obviously losing Son is a blow, but it does free up room.
“To bring somebody else in, and they’ve recouped some money for that, but also the injury to James Maddison, which of course you never planned for, but I think that in itself is a reason that they’ve had go back into the market because that’s a season-ending injury and it can shift the plans and move things around pretty quickly.
“He [Savinho] is a big commitment, but Spurs are good for that, and again, it shows that they are going to back Thomas Frank.
“If you look at where they are on the pitch, take out the league form, but it’s going to be a big season for them coming up, and you’ve got to put that kind of squad together to even compete in the Champions League at that very high level.”
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