Manchester City transfer stance on Savinho revealed following Tottenham interest | OneFootball

Hugo Viana and his Manchester City colleagues have outlined a clear stance on the future of Savinho following transfer interest in the player during the summer.

After replacing long-serving executive Txiki Begiristain as director of football in the summer, Viana orchestrated a major revamp of Pep Guardiola’s first-team ranks in the backdrop of a trophyless 2024-25 season wherein the Blues recorded their lowest points tally in a Premier League campaign under the Catalan manager.

Viana signed off on the notable exits of Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ederson, Ilkay Gundogan, James McAtee and Scott Carson as the Portuguese ushered in a new era at the Etihad Stadium in the wake of the most challenging season during Guardiola’s managerial career.

Manchester City recruited seven new signings – Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, Marcus Bettinelli, Rayan Cherki, James Trafford, Sverre Nypan and Gianluigi Donnarumma – in a sliding doors transfer window to arm Guardiola with fresh blood to challenge for major trophies in the final seasons of his current deal, which expires in 2027.

City also sanctioned a number of season-long loans for senior stars wanting to play regularly ahead of a FIFA World Cup campaign, with Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji joining Everton and Inter Milan respectively after struggling for consistent minutes last season.

Executives at the Etihad Stadium were also handed a major dilemma in the final weeks of the summer transfer window as Tottenham expressed a strong interest in Brazil forward Savinho, who was open to moving to north London just 12 months into joining Manchester City from Troyes.

Savinho was understood to be unsure of his long-term prospects under Guardiola despite amassing over 3,000 senior minutes in his first season in England, with City still at a nascent stage of their transition under Viana.

Additionally, the 21-year-old is believed to have been attracted by the prospect of playing under Thomas Frank in the wake of Tottenham’s successful 2024-25 UEFA Europa League winning season as the north Londoners sought reinforcements in attack after James Maddison suffered an ACL injury in pre-season.

According to the information of Sky Sports News, while Tottenham were interested in Savinho in the summer and remain keen on signing a wide forward in 2026, Manchester City want to keep the Brazilian international.

Guardiola is understood to be a big fan of Savinho, who was rewarded with a new contract till 2031 in October to end uncertainty over his future at the Etihad Stadium, though the terms of this new deal are likely to include a release clause to allow the forward a viable exit route in the seasons to follow.

While he has not been first-choice this season, Savinho has started to impress off the bench in recent weeks and scored a crucial goal in Manchester City’s 2-0 Carabao Cup quarter-final triumph over Brentford earlier this month.

Manchester City are expected to wrap up the signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth in the coming days, which could raise doubts over Savinho’s chances of playing time in the second half of the season, but Guardiola is keen on having the winger in his squad till the summer as the Blues contest for silverware on several fronts.