Savinho Pushes for Tottenham Move Amid Fee Standoff with City

Savinho has made his move. The Brazil international has told Manchester City he wants out this summer and is pushing to join Tottenham Hotspur to work under Roberto De Zerbi as quickly as the clubs can find a way to agree a fee.

Personal terms with Spurs are already in place. That part of the deal is done. The problem lies higher up the chain.

From Girona breakout to City bottleneck

Savinho arrived at City in 2024 off the back of a sparkling loan spell at Girona, a season in La Liga that turned him from a promising winger inside the City Football Group into one of Europe’s most talked‑about young wide forwards.

City saw enough to hand him a long-term contract running to 2031. The Etihad was supposed to be the stage where he grew into a star.

Instead, it became a traffic jam.

Across the 2025-26 campaign, he managed just 24 appearances in all competitions. There were flashes – sharp one‑v‑one moments, bursts of pace, the odd reminder of why City moved for him – but no sustained run in Pep Guardiola’s crowded attacking unit. For a 22-year-old whose game thrives on rhythm and repetition, the stop‑start nature of his minutes bit hard.

The message from the player this summer has been clear: he needs a different environment to fully ignite his career.

De Zerbi effect draws Savinho south

That environment, in his mind, is north London.

Savinho has set his sights firmly on Tottenham, and specifically on De Zerbi. The Italian’s expansive, front‑foot football is viewed as tailor‑made for a winger who wants to attack space, receive early, and live high up the pitch. After a spell at City that did not always play to those strengths, the attraction is obvious.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Savinho wants to join De Zerbi “as soon as possible,” and has already shaken hands on personal terms with Spurs. That level of commitment from the player ramps up the pressure on City’s hierarchy. He has not just hinted at a move; he has formally submitted a transfer request.

Director of football Hugo Viana is now the key figure on the City side of the talks, handling discussions over a potential sale as the club look to reshape their squad before the window closes.

City dig in on valuation

There is, however, a hard financial reality underpinning all of this.

City hold Savinho on a contract through to 2031. They do not need to sell. From a negotiating standpoint, that gives them leverage, and they are determined not to be dragged into a cut‑price deal simply because the player has decided his future lies elsewhere.

Romano’s description of the clubs being “pretty far apart” on a fee is telling. This is not a final‑details negotiation. It is a gap significant enough to create a genuine impasse, one that will require a meaningful shift from one side – or both – before anything can be signed.

Tottenham’s interest is strong, but they are not alone in the race. Italian clubs are watching the situation, ready to test City’s stance if Spurs cannot bridge the financial divide. For now, though, Savinho’s preference is clear: he wants De Zerbi, he wants Spurs, and he wants it now.

Knock-on effects for City’s summer

Behind the scenes at the Etihad, the Savinho saga feeds directly into the wider shape of City’s window.

The club have already committed significant resources to the signing of Elliot Anderson. A sale of Savinho would not just clear a squad place in an already crowded wide-forward department under new head coach Enzo Maresca; it would also inject fresh funds and flexibility into Viana’s budget as he looks at remaining targets.

That dual benefit explains why City are open to a sale, but only on their terms. They can afford to wait. The contract length, the age of the player, and his reputation after Girona all back their valuation.

Savinho, by contrast, does not want to wait. At 22, coming off another season on the fringes, he sees this summer as the moment to lock in a project built around his strengths, not one where he is fighting for scraps of minutes.

So the standoff continues: a winger impatient for a new stage, a manager at Tottenham who fits his game perfectly, and a selling club holding firm on the price.

One of them will have to blink before the window shuts.