Tottenham to pay Manchester City 85 million pounds for Savinho

Eight months of back and forth ended with a number that draws attention on its own: 85 million pounds (about 116 million dollars). That's the figure Tottenham will pay Manchester City for Savinho, according to sources who spoke to ESPN, and with it Pep Guardiola's club sets a new sales record in its recent history.

The deal includes an initial payment of 75 million pounds, plus another 10 million in add-ons. The Brazilian, who had already been pursued by Spurs more than a year ago, will undergo a medical in the coming hours to complete the transfer.

Why so much money for a player who wasn't an undisputed starter last season? That's where things get interesting. Savinho arrived at City from Troyes (another club within the City Football Group) for around 40 million euros, and in 53 appearances in sky blue he produced modestly: just 2 goals and 12 assists. Even so, his ability to unbalance defenses out wide and his youth (he came through Atletico Mineiro's academy) convinced Tottenham to pay such a sum, one that comfortably surpasses the 75 million euros Atletico Madrid paid for Julian Alvarez in 2024, until now City's most expensive sale in club history.

One detail sums up the player's standing in Manchester well: in Guardiola's final season in charge of the team, Savinho managed just seven starts. Curiously, the player himself had turned down an approach from Tottenham last season, choosing instead to stay and fight for a place in City's first team. Things didn't go as he hoped, and now fate is taking him to north London.

Another detail confirming his exit was already in motion: Savinho was left out of the squad that fell 3-0 to Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday in Cardiff, while negotiations over his transfer continued to move forward in parallel.

A market moving at full speed for Spurs

Savinho's arrival isn't an isolated move. Tottenham, now under Roberto De Zerbi, have spent more than 300 million pounds (about 409.5 million dollars) in this transfer window. The list of new signings also includes names like Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul van Hecke and free agents Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka.

On the other side of the ledger, the club's sales total around 140 million pounds (roughly 191.2 million dollars), with departures including Luka Vuskovic, Cristian Romero and Djed Spence. And the business between the two clubs may not be over yet: the same sources indicate Tottenham and Manchester City are also negotiating over Omar Marmoush, another name that could join the list of moves between the two institutions this same European summer.