Tottenham Hotspur were able to sign two of the biggest impact attacking players in the summer transfer window in winger Mohammed Kudus and attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, and these are two young men who can develop into superstars for Spurs over the next five years.
But while Tottenham have struck gold with these two signings and the loan acquisition of defensive midfielder Joao Palhinha from Bayern Munich, they were still ultimately one transfer short in terms of fulfilling all of their biggest summer needs.
Spurs were unable to acquire a shiny new left winger to replace legend Son Heung-min, who departed for the United States this summer. They were highly interested in Manchester City winger Savinho, but the Citizens grew increasingly reluctant to sell the 21-year-old, possibly because they saw Spurs as an emerging threat. And rightfully so.
Tottenham fans had high hopes that Savinho would be available in the January transfer window, as he's barely featured for Manchester City to start the 2025/26 season. But apparently, the lack of minutes and Spurs lurking interest were not enough to dissuade Savinho from committing to the Etihad Stadium for the foreseeable future.
Tottenham transfer target taken off the market
According to a rather surprising report from top transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City are now "closing in" on a new contract for Savinho, and talks are actually in their "final stages" now. He is set to commit his long-term future to Manchester City despite Tottenham making, per Fab, two total transfer approaches for the Brazilian this past summer window.
It's a huge blow for Tottenham, as it is apparent that a Savinho extension with Manchester City is imminent. That shows Savinho is ready to stake his future at the Etihad, and maybe Pep Guardiola has given him indications of a big role despite him being buried on the Man City bench to start the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.
And even if Savinho were to somehow be made available for a transfer after a contract extension is agreed upon, his transfer price would only go up since Manchester City would have no need to sell the player quickly.
Tottenham are going to have to look for other players on the wings, such as another significant summer transfer target this year in Atalanta left winger and center forward standout Ademola Lookman. But while Lookman is a superior goal threat, he's quite a few years older than Savinho, who was the No. 1 dream target for Spurs.