Tottenham's Attacking Hierarchy: Savinho vs Neto

Tottenham’s attacking rebuild now has a clear hierarchy – and it starts with Savinho, not Pedro Neto.

Having moved quickly to address midfield and defence, Roberto De Zerbi has turned the final stretch of the window into a hunt for wide firepower. Spurs want two, maybe three new forwards. One of them is close.

They are ready to pay a total of £85million to Manchester City for Savinho, a deal that underlines how heavily they are backing De Zerbi’s vision for the flanks.

Transfer insider Pete O’Rourke has outlined exactly where that leaves the rest of Spurs’ shortlist.

“Pedro Neto is on Tottenham’s list, maybe not at the top of it right now,” he told Football Insider. “Savinho is their number one target for that wide attacking position, he is the priority and they’re working hard to reach an agreement with Man City over that one.

“Cody Gakpo is high on that list as well, and both of those players are probably ahead of Pedro Neto in the pecking order for Spurs.

“Savinho is the one they’re really pushing to get done, and they’re keen on Gakpo too, so that’s where they stand at the moment.”

So the picture is clear: Savinho first, Gakpo next, Neto some way back.

Chelsea dig in over Pedro Neto price

Any move for Neto comes with a brutal starting point. Chelsea have set the bar at £100million for the Portugal international.

TEAMtalk understands that figure is what it will take to prise him out of Stamford Bridge. His camp are open to exploring a transfer, but the club want full value before they even think about signing off a sale.

Xabi Alonso is not driving him towards the exit either. The Chelsea boss is in no rush to lose Neto and would be happy to keep him in his squad for the coming season.

Inside the club there is a full awareness of the market around him. Tottenham are not alone. Manchester City have him on their radar, while Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal have already tested Chelsea’s resolve.

That test fell well short. Al-Hilal’s approach, worth around £60million, was knocked back in line with Chelsea’s stance. The message was blunt: if you want him, pay the number.

For Spurs, that poses an obvious problem. Once they commit £85million to Savinho, sanctioning another £100million for a player who largely operates in the same role looks a stretch, even in a window where they have been aggressive.

Tottenham’s board must now decide how far they are willing to go. With Savinho close and Gakpo admired, does a nine-figure bid for Neto ever truly get off the ground, or has this race already been run before it starts?