Tottenham's Major Signing of Savinho from Manchester City

Tottenham are closing in on another statement signing, with an agreement in place to buy winger Savinho from Manchester City for £75million, plus a further £10m in potential add-ons, as their extraordinary summer rebuild gathers even more speed.

The deal for the Brazil international comes as Spurs also move for another City player, Omar Marmoush, underlining the scale of the squad overhaul being driven by Roberto De Zerbi and the club’s recruitment team.

If Savinho’s transfer goes through as expected, Tottenham’s spending in this window will surge beyond £300m. They have already smashed their transfer record twice in a matter of weeks: first with the £85m capture of Mateus Fernandes, then with Sandro Tonali’s £100m switch from Newcastle. This is not a gentle reset. It is a full-scale transformation.

“It is not right to speak about players until they are official,” the Italian said. “Just to say, I am very happy. We have not finished yet in the transfer market. It is an important part.

“So far, we have had a great [summer for] signings. Great players and personalities. But you don’t win the game with big-name players. We have to deserve to win games.”

The message was clear: big fees and big reputations are only the starting point.

De Zerbi was keen to highlight the work being done behind the scenes as Spurs attempt to build something more durable than a single blockbuster window.

“We are working very well with Johan Lange, with Vinai [Venkatesham], and with Nick [Beucher] — with the whole board,” he said, pointing to a recruitment structure that is now fully aligned with his aggressive, front-foot style of football.

Appointed in March, De Zerbi walked into a club staring at the relegation trapdoor and dragged them clear on the final day of last season. The escape has shaped everything that has followed.

“It feels like I’ve been here ten years, but just three months,” he admitted. “Three very intense months. We can’t forget what happened last season. It’s a big lesson for us. We are building a big project.”

That “project” is not just about assembling a star-studded squad. De Zerbi set out what he called his two “big challenges” for the summer and the early weeks of the new campaign.

“Now the big challenge — the first two targets — we are very clear in ourselves, is to find the soul of the team,” he said. “The second target is to improve in our organisation of football, with the ball and without the ball.

“Our style has to be the key of our season. These two characteristics I want to find as soon as possible.”

So while the numbers on the balance sheet keep climbing and the names arriving grow ever more eye-catching, De Zerbi’s focus stays fixed on something less tangible but far more important: identity.

If Savinho and Marmoush do walk through the door next, they will be joining a club that is spending like a contender and talking like one too. Now comes the only part that really counts — proving it every week on the pitch.