Manchester City head coach Enzo Maresca has confirmed that winger Savinho informed him of his desire to leave the club on the very first day of his tenure, as the Brazilian edges closer to a switch to Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his first Premier League fixture in charge, Maresca addressed the growing speculation surrounding Savinho's future, revealing that the player's stance on leaving has been firm and unwavering since their initial meeting.
"It's quite clear when players want to leave, for any reason, then it's complicated to convince them to stay or change their thoughts," Maresca said. "It happened with Rodri, the same thing is happening with Savinho, since day one he asked me that he wants to leave. So now we are waiting."
Tottenham had attempted to sign Savinho last summer without success, but it is understood that discussions between the player's representatives and the north London club have been ongoing since May. Maresca suggested there could be several motivations behind the winger's desire for a fresh start.
"It's complicated when the player is thinking they need a new challenge or want to change because they want probably to go back to Spain, or play more minutes - for different reasons," the coach explained. "It's complicated to convince them to stay."
Savinho is not expected to be the only City player heading to Tottenham before the transfer window closes. Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush is also reportedly set to follow him to north London, though Maresca was more guarded when asked directly about that situation.
"I don't know. Omar is still here, still with us. Different situation than with Savinho. We'll see what happens," he said, before adding that the club would look to bring in replacements should further departures occur. "I think it's always complicated when players leaving and someone has to arrive. But we see if Omar stays or we see what happens. For sure, we are going to have more options in case players go out. If they go out, someone has to arrive."
The potential exits of Savinho and Marmoush would add to what has already been a summer of significant upheaval at the Etihad Stadium. City have already seen experienced figures such as Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones depart, with the trio having amassed a combined 757 Premier League appearances for the club. Their exits follow that of long-serving manager Pep Guardiola, who left after a highly decorated spell in charge.
Despite the scale of the turnover, Maresca expressed confidence that City would not be unduly affected by the loss of experience within the squad. "Probably, apart from Rodri, the rest they all have in common one thing - that they didn't play a lot," he noted.
City have also been linked with moves for Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernandez as part of an effort to strengthen their midfield options, though with under two weeks remaining before the transfer deadline, it remains uncertain whether further high-profile deals can be completed in time.
Nevertheless, Maresca insisted he was not concerned about the club's transfer business as the window nears its close. "I'm not worried, I'm not concerned," he said. "Since day one, we knew exactly what we need. We are working together with the sport director of the club, there are 11 days to go and many things can happen."
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.