Tottenham sign Sávio from Manchester City in deal worth up to £85m

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Brazilian winger Sávio from Manchester City in a deal worth up to £85 million, adding another major attacking piece to Roberto De Zerbi’s rebuild in north London.

The 22-year-old, who was known as Savinho during his two seasons at Manchester City, will use Sávio at his new club. Sky Sports reports that Tottenham will pay an initial £75m, with a further £10m available in add-ons. Around £5m of those bonuses are understood to be effectively guaranteed.

The potential £85m package makes the transfer significant for both clubs. Sávio becomes one of Tottenham’s biggest investments of a summer in which their spending has now moved beyond £300m, while the deal represents a club-record sale for Manchester City, exceeding the £82m received from Atlético Madrid for Julián Álvarez in 2024.

For Spurs, however, the importance of the move lies as much in profile as price. De Zerbi wanted another forward capable of creating advantages without relying on an established attacking structure, and Sávio gives him a winger comfortable attacking defenders from either flank. His acceleration, close control and willingness to engage opponents one-on-one offer a different route into the final third.

De Zerbi has already made clear where he believes the Brazilian can improve. While describing Sávio as one of the best one-on-one players in his position, the Tottenham head coach challenged him to turn that ability into a more consistent scoring output — pointing to the 10-to-15-goal returns produced by the game’s leading wide forwards.

That development will be central to whether Tottenham extract the full value from their investment. Sávio leaves City after 84 appearances and seven goals across two seasons, a period in which he gained Premier League and Champions League experience but never established himself as an automatic starter.

His reputation had been built most dramatically during the 2023/24 season with Girona. Sávio scored 11 goals in 41 appearances as the Catalan side finished third in La Liga and qualified for the Champions League for the first time. His 104 completed dribbles were the highest total in the Spanish top flight that season, underlining the individual threat that initially elevated him among Europe’s most closely watched young wingers.

Tottenham are now betting that those qualities can become more decisive under De Zerbi. The Brazilian said his conversation with the head coach was a major factor in choosing Spurs, while De Zerbi has spoken openly about his intention to develop the winger beyond creativity and dribbling into a more complete attacking player.

For Manchester City, the transfer closes a two-year spell that delivered domestic silverware and a substantial return on a player signed from Troyes in 2024. For Tottenham, it is another statement of intent in an aggressive summer overhaul — and one that places considerable expectation on Sávio to become more than an exciting ball-carrier.

He will wear the No.17 shirt at Tottenham and has been registered in time to be available for the Carabao Cup tie against Charlton Athletic.