Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Tottenham Hotspur have ‘opened talks’ with Manchester City over the signing of Brazilian winger Savinho – and the star could be one of FIVE major names Pep Guardiola is forced to fast-track out of the club over the next fortnight.
Thomas Frank’s side have bid farewell to legendary star Son Heung-min, after the South Korean departed the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after 10 excellent seasons in north London. With a gaping chasm in his side to fill exacerbated further by the recent loss of James Maddison to an ACL injury that could see him sidelined for nine months, Tottenham are now mobilising quickly towards a quality capture of their own.
And while the club have initially expressed an interest in signing Manchester City winger Jack Grealish, Frank has instead decided to pursue his Etihad Stadium teammate, Savinho, who now looks set to leave Guardiola’s side after just one season with the club.
Per a post on X from Romano, the Italian reporter has confirmed negotiations between City and Tottenham are underway over a big-money move.
‘Tottenham open club-to-club talks to sign Savinho from Man City! Negotiations ongoing between Spurs and City, also understand that Savinho is open to the move if the clubs can agree on fee. Spurs boss Thomas Frank indicated Savinho as the ideal player.’
In a follow up post, Romano added: ‘More on Savinho and Tottenham exclusive story. First proposal has already been sent by Spurs, worth €50m — and Man City want more. Negotiations ongoing with City open to selling as Sávio’s keen on the move, but only at their conditions. Deal absolutely on.’
That interest and those talks have since been confirmed by a variety of other sources, including The Athletic.
Indeed, the fact that the move to north London has already been green-lighted by the 21-year-old winger will be music to Frank’s ears.
His side badly need a quality replacement for the icon that was Son, and with similar qualities to the South Korean, it seems the 13-times capped Brazilian star is that man.
He figured 48 times for the Cityzens across his debut season under Guardiola, and despite the strong competition for places, he contributed three goals and 13 assists in that time.
However, in a World Cup season, Savinho knows he will need to feature regularly to claim a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad next summer and will see a move to north London as an ideal chance to figure more prominently and take his career to the next level.
👉 Every completed Tottenham transfer in summer 2025: Signings, exits, loans
👉 Every completed Man City transfer in summer 2025: Signings, exits, loans
Man City forced to make five major sales
With Grealish now having reportedly chosen to join Everton on a season’s loan arrangement, it could prove a busy week on the departures front for Guardiola’s side.
Indeed, having already added six new additions of their own in Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Sverre Nypan and keepers James Trafford and Marcus Bettinelli, a report on Sunday claims they now face the difficult task of offloading FIVE players to comply with UEFA rules in the Champions League.
And while Kyle Walker, Kevin de Bruyne, Maximo Perrone, Yan Couto, Scott Carson, Vitor Reis (loan), and Juma Bah (loan) have left so far, The Mirror claims the Cityzens must act fast to get five more out of the door.
Man City still have 32 players in their squad and in terms of the Premier League, due to different homegrown and Under-21 rules, only one more exit is required.
But as per UEFA rules, clubs cannot have more than 25 players on List A in the Champions League, meaning Man City are in a race against time to shift more stars before the transfer window closes on September 1.
A host of Man City stars have been linked with moves away from the Etihad in recent weeks, and it now looks like both Savinho and Grealish will be the next ones out of the door…
Best City star considering Real Madrid; Tottenham close on Liverpool star
Meanwhile, another player who has also learned his fate is Ilkay Gundogan, with Guardiola making a firm decision on his ‘last chance to cash in on him’ just a year after his return to the club.
Elsewhere, the best and most important player at the Etihad is giving serious consideration to joining Real Madrid, per a report, which has also revealed City’s panicked response.
Down at Tottenham, Frank has also been given the belief that a deal for a top Liverpool star is there to be done after positive talks with the Dane, while a transfer journalist has revealed why the Reds will ‘reluctantly’ allow the 22-year-old to move on.
On the subject of Maddison replacements, Tottenham are reportedly also targeting a former Real Madrid playmaker to plug the gap – and one report even claims a €40m bid has already been lodged.