Tottenham's Ambitious Double Raid on Manchester City
Tottenham are on the brink of one of the boldest double raids English football has seen in years, closing in on Manchester City pair Savinho and Omar Marmoush as their astonishing summer splurge gathers even more pace.
£85m Savinho deal set to smash City record
Spurs have agreed an £85m package for Savinho. The structure is aggressive: £75m up front for the Brazil international, with a further £10m tied to add-ons. Around £5m of those bonuses are viewed as virtually guaranteed, meaning City are expected to bank at least £80m.
The 22-year-old is due in north London for a medical on Friday afternoon, the final step before a move that would set a new transfer record for Manchester City sales. Savinho’s exit would eclipse Julian Alvarez’s £82m switch to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2024.
His fee is eye-catching given his role last season. Since joining City in 2024, Savinho has been a bit-part figure, starting just seven of his 24 Premier League appearances. He finished the campaign with one goal and two assists – flashes of talent, but never a guaranteed starter under Pep Guardiola.
Now Spurs are ready to bet huge money on the upside City never fully tapped.
Marmoush next as Spurs press their advantage
Savinho may not be arriving alone. Tottenham are also closing in on City forward Omar Marmoush, with talks described as advanced and moving “in the right direction”. The Egypt international is understood to be fully on board with the switch to north London.
For City, both players have drifted towards the fringes. For Spurs, they represent the next phase of an audacious rebuild.
Manchester City, though, will be left short. With the window closing in less than a fortnight, these are big positions to cover at short notice.
As Sky Sports News’ Ben Ransom put it, Savinho and Marmoush have essentially become surplus to requirements at the Etihad. Enzo Maresca has been clear they were free to stay and fight for their places, but he also accepts that when a player wants regular football and a serious offer lands, City will not block the exit.
The expectation is that City will look to replace at least one of them. Ideally both. Time is the problem.
Maresca: “Since day one, he has asked me that he wants to leave”
New Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca, preparing for his first season after Guardiola’s departure, has already watched a core of that era move on. Ballon d’Or and World Cup-winning midfielder Rodri has joined Barcelona. Now Savinho is heading for the door, with Marmoush likely to follow.
Maresca did not dress it up.
Asked if he tried to convince Rodri to stay, he said: “It is quite clear when the player wants to leave, then it is complicated to convince them to stay. It happened with Rodri and the same thing is happening with Savinho.
“Since day one, he has asked me that he wants to leave. So now we are waiting. But it’s complicated.
“When the player is thinking that they need a new challenge, or they want to change because they probably want to go back to Spain, or they want to play more minutes or for a different reason. It becomes complicated then to convince them to stay.”
City are used to controlling the market. This time, player power and Tottenham’s cash have dictated the pace.
Tottenham’s spending spree: a new era with the handbrake off
The numbers at Spurs this summer are staggering. Before Savinho and Marmoush, they had already committed more than £200m on six first-team signings.
Two marquee midfielders led the charge: Sandro Tonali from Newcastle and Matheus Fernandes from West Ham, costing a combined £185m. Jan Paul van Hecke arrived from Brighton for £52m to replace Cristian Romero at the heart of defence.
On top of that, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all joined on free transfers, adding depth and experience without further denting the fee column.
This is not the Tottenham of old, forever accused of hesitating when the market heated up. The brakes are off.
So how can they afford it?
At the start of the window, Sky Sports News’ Michael Bridge laid out the foundations. Spurs, he said, have “absolutely no concerns” about breaching the Premier League’s financial rules.
The club’s financial muscle has grown quietly but relentlessly. Tottenham have qualified for European competition in 18 of the last 20 seasons. Their stadium has become a revenue machine: Premier League football, boxing, concerts, NFL – all feeding the balance sheet.
The Deloitte Money League underlined the shift. Tottenham have overtaken Chelsea to become the ninth richest club in the world, posting annual revenues of £549.2m.
On top of that, the league’s move from PSR to a squad cost ratio model has favoured clubs like Spurs, whose wage and amortisation structures are under control. The rules have changed, and Tottenham are one of the big winners.
But money alone doesn’t explain the aggression. Strategy does.
Daniel Levy, the long-time chairman associated with caution and brinkmanship in the market, left at the start of last season. Under the new leadership, the mood has flipped. There is a clear, public desire to “dine at the very top table”, backed by a promise to fans that the club’s revenue would be spent on the first team after they escaped relegation on the final day.
So far, those words are being matched by cheques.
A statement to the league – and a question for the season
If Savinho completes his medical and Marmoush follows, Tottenham will have taken two forwards off Manchester City in the same window, while smashing City’s outgoing transfer record in the process.
For Spurs, it signals ambition and belief that they can crash the title conversation sooner rather than later.
For City, it raises a different question: in a summer when Rodri has gone and Guardiola has stepped away, how quickly can Maresca rebuild a squad that suddenly looks lighter in key attacking areas?
The window is closing fast. Tottenham are spending like a club determined to change their status. Manchester City now have to decide how they respond.
