Savinho: Tottenham Sign Winger from Manchester City for £75m
BBC Sport
Image source: Getty Images
Image caption: Savio has won 13 caps for Brazil, scoring one goal.
By Paul Battison, BBC Sport journalist
Published 25 August 2026, 10:14 BST Updated 3 minutes ago
"Wishing you all the best, Savinho," wrote Manchester City on social media platform X.
"Welcome to Tottenham, Savio," announced Spurs.
The 22-year-old Brazil winger has joined the Londoners for an initial fee of £75m—and a new start has come with a new name. Or, should we say, his actual name.
In 2024, he stated that his national team put Savinho on his shirt, asking City to keep it for luck when he moved there in 2024. But now, the attacker, whose full name is Savio Moreira de Oliveira, has reverted to his original name and will be known as Savio on his number 17 shirt, not Savinho.
He has signed a long-term contract, with Roberto de Zerbi's side potentially paying a further £10m in add-ons.
A Move a Year in the Making
Savio's move to north London has been more than 12 months in the making, with Spurs failing in a bid to sign him last summer when Thomas Frank was in charge. He opted to remain at Etihad Stadium but saw his game time limited under former City boss Pep Guardiola last term, making just seven Premier League starts.
"It's taken a while but I'm very happy to be here," said Savio, who has 13 caps for his country but was not part of their World Cup squad. "It's a wonderful opportunity at a brilliant club with one of the best managers in the world. 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."
Savio joined City from French side Troyes in a £30.8m deal two years ago and made 84 appearances, scoring seven goals and providing 16 assists.
A Summer of Big Spending for Spurs
His arrival at Spurs follows those of Mateus Fernandes from West Ham, Sandro Tonali from Newcastle, and Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton this summer for a combined £312m. Spurs have also brought in defenders Marcos Senesi and Andrew Robertson, and goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, on free transfers.
"Savio is a player who brings energy, imagination, and quality in wide positions. He has the courage to attack defenders and the ability to change a game with his creativity," added De Zerbi.
Spurs are also in advanced talks to buy Egypt forward Omar Marmoush from City, and sources with knowledge of the situation say there is a "good chance" the deal gets completed before the 1 September transfer deadline.