Savinho pushes for Tottenham move as City winger misses training

Tottenham’s long pursuit of Savinho has reached a critical point, with the Brazil international missing Manchester City training on Thursday and again making clear he wants out.

The 22-year-old was absent from City’s open session, with the club attributing his non‑appearance to illness. The timing, though, is impossible to ignore. Spurs have been on his trail for more than a year, failed once last summer, and are now closing in again with far greater determination.

This is not just a recruitment department obsession. Roberto De Zerbi has signed off the move and wants Savinho as part of a broader attacking rebuild, with at least two forwards targeted before the 1 September deadline.

Player pushes, Spurs wait on City’s call

Transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano reported on Thursday that Savinho has again informed City this week of his desire to leave and join Tottenham. The message from the player’s side is consistent: he wants north London and he wants it now.

Romano has spoken in recent weeks of a “very good chance” of the winger ending up at Spurs, but there is a familiar catch. City want a replacement lined up before they let him go, a stance mirroring their approach to another Tottenham target, Cody Gakpo at Liverpool.

Even so, confidence is growing in N17. A well‑placed Tottenham source on X has indicated the deal is expected to reach a positive conclusion within the next week, with a fee in the region of £70m being discussed.

Big backing for De Zerbi – but is £70m too much?

Tottenham have already shown this summer that they are prepared to spend aggressively to accelerate De Zerbi’s rebuild after back‑to‑back 17th‑placed finishes. The club stunned rivals by landing Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali from West Ham United and Newcastle United respectively, paying a combined £185m to get both deals over the line.

Savinho, though, sits in a different bracket of debate.

City signed him from Girona for around £30m two years ago. Since then he has made 84 appearances for the eight-time Premier League champions, a respectable tally but not the profile of a nailed‑on starter. His output has not exploded, and he never fully established himself under Pep Guardiola. New manager Enzo Maresca appears ready to sanction his exit.

That is where the tension lies for Spurs. They are negotiating from a position of desire, not leverage. They have wanted Savinho for more than 12 months, they see him as a key piece of De Zerbi’s attacking puzzle, and they are prepared to pay a premium to get him out of the Etihad.

On the numbers, £70m is a heavy bet. It more than doubles City’s outlay on a player who has yet to prove he can dominate a Premier League season. He clearly has pedigree – City do not hand out 84 appearances lightly – but he arrives as a talent still searching for a definitive campaign rather than a finished product.

Tottenham are gambling that regular football under a manager who clearly rates him will unlock a level City never quite saw often enough. If De Zerbi turns that promise into end product, the fee will be framed as the cost of getting ahead of the curve.

If he doesn’t, £70m will look like the moment Spurs let their ambition run ahead of their judgment.