Almost €100m for a benchwarmer and Xavi Simons is absolutely delighted! Manchester City announce record transfer
The move of attacking player Savinho to Tottenham Hotspur, which had already been emerging recently, is official.
Manchester City and Spurs both announced the transfer of the attacking player on Tuesday morning. The fee for Savinho, who had fallen out of favour at City, is a sizeable one: according to Sky, Tottenham will initially pay around €87.5 million to Manchester, while possible bonus payments reportedly amount to around €11 million. City could therefore receive a total fee of around €98.5 million for Savinho.
In north London, the Brazilian has signed a five-year contract until 2031 with the option of a further year. For City, Savinho is the club's new record sale and surpasses Julian Alvarez, who had moved to Atletico Madrid in 2024 for a fee of €75 million. In Tottenham's history, meanwhile, Savinho is the third most expensive signing, with the entire top three coming this summer: the near-relegated side from last season paid €99 million to West Ham United for Mateus Fernandes, while €108 million went to Newcastle United for record holder Sandro Tonali. In total, the London club have now spent more than €350 million on new players in the current transfer window, which remains open until the start of September, while other high-profile players such as Andrew Robertson and Marcos Senesi arrived on free transfers.
"It took a while, but I am happy to be here now," Savinho said of his move. Tottenham had already been pursuing him last summer, but the €70 million fee offered at the time was too little for City and the transfer fell through. At the start of October 2025, Savinho then surprisingly extended his contract at City by a further two years until 2031.
Savinho delighted with mega transfer to Tottenham
Back then, Savinho had only just found his rhythm again after injury problems. City had signed him from ESTAC Troyes in France in 2024 for a fee of €25 million, but under former coach Pep Guardiola he ultimately had to settle for a substitute role for most of last season. Guardiola's successor Enzo Maresca was no longer necessarily planning with Savinho, who made a total of 84 appearances for City during his two years in Manchester (seven goals, 16 assists).
Roberto De Zerbi, who took over as Spurs coach at the end of March, played an important role in the delayed move to Tottenham, according to Savinho. "This is a wonderful opportunity at a great club with one of the best coaches in the world," stressed the 22-year-old, who prefers to play on either flank. "As soon as I had spoken to the coach, I knew that I had to come here. He wants to help me reach the highest possible level, and I believe that we can achieve that together."
Xavi Simons announces Savinho transfer
At Tottenham, Savinho has a familiar face in Xavi Simons, who moved from RB Leipzig to Tottenham in 2025 and can make the start in London easier for him. The two have known each other since the 2022/23 season, when they played together at PSV Eindhoven, and it was Simons, who is still set for a long spell out with a cruciate ligament rupture, who was allowed to announce Savinho's signing on Spurs' social media channels.
"Of course I had to do that. In fact, I insisted on it," said the Dutchman. "Welcome to Spurs, bro. I am very happy that you are here now. You will love it. The fans have been so good to me since I came here. And I know that they will love you too as soon as they see you play. I am working hard every day to come back. And I can't wait to be back on the pitch with you soon."
Omar Marmoush could soon give Savinho another familiar face in his new surroundings. The Egyptian also appears to be on the verge of leaving Manchester City for Tottenham, initially on loan. According to Fabrizio Romano, a purchase option would then come into effect next year which, if certain conditions are met, could become an obligation to buy. In that case, Spurs would have to pay City a fee of €58.5 million for Marmoush.
