After completing record fees for Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, Tottenham are now shifting their attention to the final piece of this summer’s rebuild — the attack. Several big names have been floated, with Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi among the most talked-about, despite Arsenal’s competing interest, while Cody Gakpo, Marcus Rashford, and Milan’s Rafael Leão have also entered the conversation, with the latter widely tipped to leave San Siro before the window closes.
No official offer has been made for Leão, but Spurs are said to have opened dialogue with agent Jorge Mendes about his future. The Portuguese is considered one of the continent’s standout wide players, prized for his explosive stride down the left, with Milan boss Stefano Pioli even likening his tendency to cut in onto his right foot to a young Thierry Henry in his prime. Since Son’s departure last year, Tottenham have missed that kind of electric threat on the left, and Leão’s blend of raw speed, one-on-one ability, and constant menace toward full-backs makes him a natural fit. At 27, he’s proven far more than just a runner too — he’s hit double figures for goals in each of the last five campaigns, and aside from a quieter 2025/26 with only three assists, had racked up ten-plus assists in four straight seasons before that.
Even so, Leão isn’t reportedly De Zerbi’s top pick for the role. Fabrizio Romano has indicated Tottenham’s real priorities are Gakpo — though Liverpool haven’t shown willingness to sell — and City’s Savinho, who Romano described as effectively Spurs’ first, second and third choice given their interest in him dates back a year. Valued around £60m, the Brazilian has split opinion among supporters after producing just one Premier League goal last season.
Goal output is clearly where Leão has the edge, with Savinho managing only seven in 84 City appearances. But their games overlap in other important ways — both are elite ball-carriers who thrive at beating defenders, and Savinho in particular ranks among the very best across Europe’s top five leagues for progressing the ball forward. Their creative numbers stack up similarly too, with comparable expected-assist and through-ball figures — Savinho posted 13 assists in his first Etihad season, close to Leão’s average of 11 per year between 2021/22 and 2024/25.
At just 22 and already accustomed to the Premier League, with plenty of development still ahead of him, there’s a real case for Tottenham favouring the City winger over the more experienced Leão.
