Tottenham Closing In On Record Double Deal With Savinho And Marmoush
Tottenham are on the brink of another statement double deal – and this one rips up Manchester City's record books.
Spurs are closing in on the signing of City pair Savinho and Omar Marmoush, with an £85m agreement in place for the Brazilian winger that would make him the most expensive sale in the Premier League champions’ history.
Record fee as Savinho pushes exit
Tottenham will pay an initial £75m for Savinho, with a further £10m in add-ons. Around £5m of those bonuses are understood to be virtually guaranteed, meaning City are set to bank at least £80m from the move.
The 22-year-old is due in north London for a medical on Friday afternoon, a key step in a transfer that has gathered pace after a summer of uncertainty over his future.
Savinho’s departure has been driven as much by the player as the club. New City boss Enzo Maresca has been blunt about the winger’s stance since he walked through the door.
“Since day one, he has asked me that he wants to leave,” Maresca admitted. “When the player is thinking that they need a new challenge… it becomes complicated then to convince them to stay.”
Savinho has struggled to carve out a regular role at the Etihad since arriving in 2024. He started only seven of his 24 Premier League appearances last season, scoring once and providing two assists. Talented, yes. Essential, no. And that has opened the door for Spurs.
The fee eclipses the £82m City received from Atletico Madrid for Julian Alvarez in the summer of 2024, underlining just how heavily Tottenham are willing to invest to reshape their attack.
Marmoush next as Spurs spending surges
The Savinho deal is only half the story. Spurs are also deep in advanced talks to sign Omar Marmoush, with negotiations described as progressing positively. The Egypt international is understood to be keen on the move and ready to join the project in north London.
If and when Marmoush follows Savinho through the door, it will cap an extraordinary window for Tottenham’s new hierarchy.
They have already committed more than £200m on six first-team signings this summer. The midfield has been rebuilt at huge cost: £185m spent on Sandro Tonali from Newcastle and Matheus Fernandes from West Ham. At the back, Jan Paul van Hecke has arrived from Brighton for £52m to replace Cristian Romero.
On top of the big fees, Spurs have moved aggressively in the free-agent market. Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka have all signed without transfer fees, bolstering depth and experience across the pitch.
This is not tinkering. It is a full-scale reset.
Why Spurs can spend – and keep spending
The obvious question hangs over all of it: how are Tottenham funding this spree while others tiptoe around financial regulations?
Inside the club, there is no sense of alarm. Sky Sports News’ Michael Bridge outlined the foundations of this new era earlier in the window, stressing there are “absolutely no concerns” about breaching the Premier League’s financial rules.
Tottenham’s financial muscle has quietly grown. They have qualified for European competition in 18 of the last 20 seasons. Their stadium has become a money machine, hosting boxing, concerts, NFL games and more. Those events have driven revenues to the point where, according to the Deloitte Money League, Spurs have overtaken Chelsea to become the ninth richest club in the world, with annual income of £549.2m.
The recent shift in the Premier League’s regulatory focus from PSR to squad cost ratio has also favoured them. Lower legacy wage commitments and rising revenues give Spurs more room to manoeuvre than many of their rivals.
But the real change is strategic. Daniel Levy’s departure at the start of last season marked the end of an era of caution. The new leadership, backed by owners who promised fans they would spend the club’s revenue on the first team after narrowly avoiding relegation on the final day, are following through. The aim is clear: to “dine at the very top table,” as Bridge put it.
The Savinho and Marmoush deals are the latest proof that those promises were not empty.
Maresca’s rebuild gets harder
For Maresca, preparing for his first season in charge of City after Pep Guardiola’s glittering nine-year reign, the timing is far from ideal.
He has already watched Ballon d’Or and World Cup-winning midfielder Rodri depart for Barcelona. Now Savinho is heading out and Marmoush could follow, stripping depth from an attack that will need to be retooled on the fly.
Maresca insists players have been free to stay and fight for their place, but he recognises the reality of modern elite squads.
Sky Sports News’ Ben Ransom summed up City’s stance: both Savinho and Marmoush have effectively been surplus to requirements, even if the door remained open for them to compete for minutes. When footballers at that level are not guaranteed starts, and a strong offer lands on the table, City will not stand in their way.
That approach now leaves City with work to do. Ransom expects at least one replacement to be signed, with the club keen to bring in two if possible. The problem is the clock. The transfer window closes in less than a fortnight, and these are not minor squad roles they are trying to fill.
Spurs’ gamble, City’s test
So Tottenham surge forward, chequebook open, emboldened by new leadership and booming revenues. City, by contrast, face the delicate task of refreshing a title-winning squad while losing players who no longer want to wait in line.
Savinho’s medical will tell its own story. If all goes as expected, Spurs will unveil the most expensive signing in City’s history – and possibly add Marmoush soon after.
The money is eye-watering. The intent is unmistakable.
Now the real question: will this be the summer Tottenham finally buy their way into the elite, or the one that forces City to prove, again, that they can rebuild faster than anyone else?
