Tottenham Hotspur have officially confirmed the signing of Brazilian winger Savio from Manchester City, along with his new shirt number, as the north London club continue an ambitious summer spending spree.
The 22-year-old, previously known as Savinho during his two seasons at City, has completed a deal worth an initial £75million, with a further £5million in guaranteed add-ons and up to £5million more in potential bonuses, pushing the total possible value of the transfer to £85million. The fee represents a club-record sale for Manchester City and pushes Tottenham's summer outlay beyond the £300million mark.
Following his switch, the player has asked to be known simply as Savio going forward, reverting to the name he used during a loan spell at City Football Group affiliate Girona in the 2023/24 campaign. His full name is Savio Moreira de Oliveira. Before his time in Manchester, he also represented Troyes and PSV Eindhoven, having started his career at Atletico Mineiro in Brazil.
Speaking for the first time as a Tottenham player, Savio expressed his delight at finally getting the deal over the line after months of speculation linking him with a move to north London throughout the transfer window.
"It's taken a while but I'm very happy to be here," Savio told Tottenham's official website. "It's a wonderful opportunity at a brilliant club with one of the best managers in the world."
The winger also credited conversations with head coach Roberto De Zerbi as instrumental in convincing him to make the switch. "As soon as I spoke to the head coach I knew I had to come. He told me he wants to help me reach the highest level, and I believe we can do that together, as a team," he added.
Having been registered ahead of Tuesday's midday deadline, Savio is eligible to feature for Tottenham as soon as Wednesday night, when De Zerbi's side host Championship outfit Charlton Athletic in the second round of the Carabao Cup. The Brazilian could therefore make a swift debut following a turbulent start to the season for Spurs, who were beaten 3-0 by Brentford on the opening weekend of the Premier League campaign. Tottenham will then turn their attention back to league action on Saturday evening, when they welcome Newcastle United to their home ground.
Savio becomes Tottenham's seventh new addition of the summer as De Zerbi continues to reshape his squad following his appointment. The Italian previously stated his desire to add two or three more players before the transfer window shuts on September 1, hinting at a potential blockbuster deal still to come.
The club have already broken their own transfer record twice this summer, first with the arrival of midfielder Mateus Fernandes and then with the signing of Sandro Tonali. Centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke also joined from Brighton for £60million, while Tottenham bolstered their squad further with the free transfer additions of Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka.
With a versatile winger of Savio's calibre now added to the ranks, De Zerbi will be hoping the Brazilian can provide an immediate spark as Tottenham look to bounce back from their disappointing start and build momentum both domestically and in cup competition.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport.