Tottenham Near £65m Deal for Savinho as City Eye Mbaye
Tottenham Hotspur are moving into the final stretch of a long-running pursuit. After a year of probing, bidding and being rebuffed, Spurs are now edging towards a deal worth around £65million for Manchester City winger Savinho – and City have already started plotting life without him.
What began as an ambitious enquiry last summer, when Tottenham were prepared to go to £60m, is now on the brink of becoming one of the headline transfers of the window. Back then, City simply refused to play ball. Savinho was not for sale, the message was clear, and the door shut quickly.
It did not stay shut for long.
From frustration to focal point
Savinho, 22, had been keen on the move to north London a year ago. He saw a chance to become a central figure at Tottenham, rather than a rotation piece under Pep Guardiola, and believed he had been underused at the Etihad.
City responded by locking him down. A new six-year contract, a public show of faith, and the noise around his future quietened almost overnight.
Only temporarily.
Spurs never fully walked away. Their recruitment team kept the lines warm, monitored the situation and, in recent months, reactivated the chase with renewed intensity. This time, the mood has shifted. According to Simon Jones of the Daily Mail, Tottenham are now closing in on Savinho, with City preparing to cash in for around £65m.
The player wants the move. Personal terms are not expected to be a hurdle. Once the clubs align on the final details, the deal is expected to accelerate.
City’s response: eyes on Ibrahim Mbaye
As Tottenham push to bring Savinho to Ange Postecoglou’s attack, City have turned to Paris.
Jones reports that Manchester City, Aston Villa, Tottenham and RB Leipzig are among the clubs tracking Paris Saint-Germain winger Ibrahim Mbaye. The 18-year-old, who caught the eye with Senegal at the World Cup, is ready to leave the European champions this summer in search of regular football, with his path in Paris becoming increasingly crowded.
Mbaye is now represented by Jorge Mendes, a development that typically signals serious market movement around a young talent. For City, he is one of the names under consideration as they prepare to close the sale of Savinho to Spurs.
City had previously explored the idea of bringing in Rodrygo from Real Madrid as a Brazilian-for-Brazilian replacement, making enquiries last year. That never progressed, and the focus has turned to other profiles, with Mbaye now firmly on the radar.
Romano shuts down Vergara talk
Amid the swirl of winger rumours around Tottenham, one name can be scrubbed from the list.
On Thursday, Fabrizio Romano moved to dismiss suggestions that Napoli’s Antonio Vergara was in Spurs’ sights, stressing that Savinho is the club’s priority for the wide role.
“I also wanted to clarify that the links between Tottenham Hotspur and Antonio Vergara are not true. Vergara is not a target for Tottenham,” Romano said, adding that the youngster is instead signing a new contract at Napoli with an improved salary.
The message was blunt. Vergara was never on Tottenham’s agenda, even when reports surfaced at the end of May and into June. The north London club, Romano insisted, are focused on one winger: Savinho.
Spurs choose Savinho over Leao and Gakpo
Tottenham’s winger search has not been short on star power. Cody Gakpo and Rafael Leao have both been discussed and linked.
Liverpool have already shut the door on Gakpo. The Anfield club decided on Wednesday that the Dutchman will not be sold this summer, with their own plan focused on strengthening, not thinning, their wide options.
Leao, meanwhile, has loomed as a marquee possibility. On July 5, it emerged that the AC Milan forward had given the green light to a potential move to Spurs in a deal worth around €50m (£42m). That kind of opportunity would tempt most clubs.
Tottenham, though, appear to have made their choice. The priority is Savinho, even at a significantly higher fee. The Brazilian is the player they see as the right fit for Postecoglou’s high-tempo, front-foot system, the winger they want to build around.
If Spurs now convert months of intent into a completed £65m deal, Savinho will arrive as a statement signing. City, already looking to the future with Mbaye and other options, seem ready to let him go.
The question now is not whether Tottenham are serious. It is what Savinho, given the platform he craved, will do with a Premier League stage built around him.
