Tottenham Hotspur are storming into the new Premier League campaign like a horse in ominous form, sweeping past every hurdle in their path.
Spurs have enjoyed a remarkable window so far. Roberto De Zerbi has already strengthened his defence by bringing in Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi, and Jan Paul van Hecke. But the rebuild goes far beyond the backline. Mateus Fernandes has arrived in midfield for £85m, while a club-record £100m swoop for Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali is closing in on completion. Goalkeeping cover has been addressed too, with Martin Dubravka signed as backup to Antonin Kinsky shortly before the midfield business was wrapped up.
Attention is now turning to the final piece of the puzzle: firepower going forward. Defensive frailties were obvious last term, but a lack of creativity and cutting edge up top were just as damaging. Manchester City’s Savinho has emerged as a target to add width and invention. Spurs tried and failed to land the Brazilian twelve months ago after City knocked back multiple offers, but circumstances have shifted considerably since then. With Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo now at the Etihad, Savinho has struggled for game time this season, and Tottenham are reportedly negotiating a deal worth roughly £60m.
He isn’t the only winger under consideration, though. Miguel Delaney of The Independent has reported that Rafael Leão is also on Spurs’ radar, with the club said to have already opened informal dialogue with AC Milan over a potential summer transfer. Leão is understood to want out of San Siro, and Football FanCast has previously suggested he could be signed for a relatively modest £43m.
Comparing the two, Savinho looked like a dream addition a year ago on the back of a standout campaign under Pep Guardiola, contributing 3 goals and 13 assists in all competitions while ranking among the league’s most incisive wide players — his 1.6 key passes per game trailed only Kevin De Bruyne’s 2.1 and matched Bernardo Silva’s output. This season has told a very different story, however. Reduced minutes, driven both by the arrivals of Cherki and Semenyo and a drop in his own form, have limited him to just 4 goals and 3 assists in 2025/26, with only 7 league starts.
At 22, Savinho’s ceiling remains high, but Leão’s proven track record makes him arguably the safer bet for De Zerbi. Como scout Ben Mattinson has called the 27-year-old one of the finest left-wingers on the planet, and his output backs that up — Leão has hit double-digit goals in five straight seasons, with 2025/26 the only one of those campaigns in which he fell short of ten assists as well.
Savinho’s calling card is his dribbling and carrying ability, sitting in the top 1% of wingers across Europe’s top five leagues for progressive actions and carries per 90, and the top 5% for successful take-ons. Leão isn’t far behind on that front either, ranking in the top 4% for progressive actions and top 2% for progressive carries, while still boasting the more explosive one-on-one threat.
Factor in that he’s entering the prime of his career, and a £43m price tag looks like exceptional value given how much Spurs have already committed to their rebuild — this move has all the makings of a genuine bargain.
