Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed his desire to keep winger Savinho at the club for “many years” despite interest from Tottenham Hotspur. However, an injury is set to sideline the Brazilian until after the transfer window closes, complicating any potential move.
Savinho sustained the injury during a pre-season friendly against Palermo and will miss City’s Premier League opener at Wolverhampton Wanderers. “Savinho is injured… he will be out for a few weeks,” Guardiola confirmed, effectively ruling him out until after the September 1 deadline.
Tottenham have reportedly approached City to discuss a deal worth approximately €50 million (£43.3m), though the Premier League champions have maintained the winger is not for sale. Savinho started 36 games across all competitions last season, scoring three goals in his first year since arriving from Girona.
Addressing the transfer speculation, Guardiola said, “If any club wants a player they should call the club, like we do. I am only concerned right now that Savinho will be with us for the rest of the season and hopefully many years because at 21, with the potential he has, he is an extraordinary player.”
Guardiola reiterated his long-standing policy that he will not prevent a player from leaving, provided a suitable agreement is reached between the clubs. “At the end, the desire of the players is above everything, but then they have to find an agreement with the club. If they don’t, the player will be here.”
The manager confirmed this stance also applies to goalkeeper Ederson, whose future has faced scrutiny amid links to Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma. However, Guardiola stated that neither Savinho nor Ederson has expressed a desire to depart. “Ederson didn’t come to me and say he wanted to leave,” he said. “All the players are here and I want them.”
Conversely, one player on the verge of an exit is James McAtee, with Nottingham Forest having agreed a fee of around £30 million. Guardiola explained that the 22-year-old academy product is leaving in search of more regular playing time.
“I would love to have Macca but we have too many players,” Guardiola said. “Maca has the potential to be with us, but sometimes he wanted more minutes and that’s fair enough.”
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For City’s opening Premier League match, both Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic have been ruled out.
Midfielder Rodri, however, is expected to be in the squad after a lengthy absence. Guardiola stressed the need for a cautious approach to his return to avoid any setbacks. “His knee is perfect, but we have to try to avoid [another injury]… we have to go step by step,” the manager said, indicating Rodri will be eased back into action after playing just 15 minutes of pre-season football.
