Pep Guardiola has expressed his desire to keep Tottenham transfer target Savinho this summer. However, the Brazilian winger is not going to be playing for Manchester City over the weekend.
City travel to Molineux to face Wolves on Saturday night in their opening game of the new Premier League season but Savinho will miss that game through injury. Guardiola confirmed that the attacker would be out for "a few weeks" which is also likely to see him sidelined when Tottenham visit the Etihad Stadium.
Spurs made their interest in Savinho clear as they seek to add options to Thomas Frank's squad, especially in light of James Maddison's knee surgery. Savinho split his game time for City between the flanks last season, something that could, if he signed, allow Mohammed Kudus to operate centrally.
It is understood that Tottenham see him as an option to replace Son Heung-min on the left. There is still a way to go for a deal to be completed, though, as Guardiola hit back at Tottenham's approach.
"If Tottenham in that case or any other club wants a player, they should call the club right?" he said in a press conference on Friday. "It's the same like we do. I'm only concerned right now, today, that Savinho will be with us until the end of the season.
"And hopefully for many, many years. He's 21 years old with the potential that he has. He's played a lot of minutes, he has to improve in the final decisions. But he's an extraordinary player, otherwise he would not have played more than 3,000 minutes.
"But in the end, as always, the desire of the players prevails above everything. But they have to arrive to an agreement with the club."
Savinho only scored three times for City last year in all competitions but did provide 10 assists in the league. He fell out of favour late on, being relegated to the bench and substitute appearances in the final few months.
That hasn't stopped Guardiola from standing by the former Girona man. "All the players are here and I want them," he explained.
Savinho played 45 minutes off the bench against Palermo on Saturday in City's final pre-season friendly. He came on for Oscar Bobb at half-time but picked up a knock that will delay the start of his season.
Clubs have two weeks left to finalise their transfer business. The deadline is at 7pm on September 1.