Tottenham face clear Savinho deadline as alternative option emerges
Spurs have been locked in talks with Manchester City over top transfer target
Tottenham have a clear deadline if they are to sign and register Savinho in time for their Premier League opener against Brentford this weekend.
Spurs have a long-standing interest in the Brazilian winger and have been locked in talks with Manchester City all summer as they look to add attacking reinforcements before the September 1 transfer deadline.
Savinho has expressed his desire to leave City and was not included in Enzo Maresca’s squad for their 3-0 Community Shield defeat by Arsenal in Cardiff on Sunday.
Negotiations between the clubs appear to have hit an impasse, though, and Spurs are running out of time to get a deal agreed before the start of the new Premier League season.
Despite already spending £237million on six new players this summer, Tottenham are still short of options in attack, with head coach Roberto De Zerbi previously insisting that they need two or three further additions before the end of the transfer window.
Savinho, 22, has been a priority target for Spurs due to his pace and versatility.
But with negotiations dragging on, Tottenham may have to turn to academy winger Mikey Moore when they travel to Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday evening.
Moore is still widely expected to leave on loan this summer, with Bundesliga outfit Cologne heavily linked with a move for the 19-year-old.
However, with Spurs struggling to reach an agreement for Savinho and Mohammed Kudus not featuring at all during pre-season as he recovers from a serious quad injury, De Zerbi is not blessed with options on the right wing.
That means that should Tottenham fail to register Savinho before the Premier League’s Friday 12pm BST deadline for a player to then be eligible for Saturday action, Moore will be in line to start against Brentford, having shone with a second-half brace in last weekend’s 3-0 friendly win over Hoffenheim.
Spurs take on Keith Andrews’ Bees at 5:30pm as they look to kick-start a new era under De Zerbi following successive 17th-place finishes in the Premier League.