Tottenham's Ambitious Double Move for Marmoush and Savinho

Tottenham are pushing hard on two fronts and the clock is already ticking.

With the summer window closing on 1 September, Spurs are working on an ambitious double move for Omar Marmoush and Savinho from Manchester City, a package that could climb to – and possibly pass – £140 million as Roberto De Zerbi looks to reshape his attack.

City duo under the spotlight

The situation around the two City forwards has started to crystallise this weekend.

Savinho was left out of Manchester City’s squad for their Premier League opener against Bournemouth, a notable omission given his heavy involvement in pre-season. Enzo Maresca revealed the Brazilian missed training three days before the game because he was “a little bit ill”, breaking a run in which he had featured in all of City’s warm-up fixtures.

Marmoush, by contrast, stayed in the matchday picture. He was named among the substitutes, having come off the bench against Arsenal in the Community Shield the previous weekend. His presence underlined Maresca’s view that his situation is not identical to Savinho’s.

City’s new head coach drew a clear line between the two.

“Omar is still here, still with us, it’s a different situation to Savio and we see,” Maresca said. “Savio, since day one, asked to leave, and Omar didn’t ask to leave since day one, not yet.

“It’s always complicated when someone leaves, and one has to arrive. We’ll see if Omar stays or what happens.”

The message on Savinho was even starker.

“It’s quite clear that when players want to leave for any reason, it is complicated to convince them to stay and to change,” Maresca continued. “It happened with Rodri, the same is happening with Savinho.

“Since day one, he has been clear that he wants to leave. Now we are waiting. It’s complicated when players are clear they want a new challenge, or they want to go to Spain or play more minutes, it becomes complicated to convince them to stay.”

For Tottenham, that stance opens a door. The Brazilian’s desire for a new challenge, coupled with Spurs’ willingness to invest heavily, has pushed talks into the decisive phase.

De Zerbi’s rebuild gathers pace

On the other side of the deal, Roberto De Zerbi is choosing his words carefully in public, but his intent is obvious.

Asked directly about Savinho in his pre-match press conference, the Tottenham head coach refused to be drawn into specifics.

“It’s not right to speak about the players until they are official,” he said. “Just to say, I’m very happy. We have not finished yet in the transfer market.”

The comment landed like a teaser. The real context came after Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat to Brentford, when De Zerbi widened the lens and spoke about the backing he has received from the Lewis family and the club’s hierarchy.

“I am very happy and I think I can’t speak about the other coaches [in the past],” he said. “I just can say, in my experience, they kept their word, they kept what they said before I came in March, the end of March, in the middle of March, and then very happy.

“But what we are doing is not for the coach. It’s for the club, for the fans, for the history of the club, for the pride of the club, and for the level of the club. I think this moment is crucial for this club, because after two seasons like we had, we have to change the mood, completely change it, give it a boost.

“Then, I think when we have finished in this transfer market, for a long time we don’t need many things and we can work all together in the right condition, in the right direction, to build step by step something special, or to go to compete for the top of the table.”

That is the backdrop to the Marmoush–Savinho chase: a manager demanding a shift in mood, a board ready to spend, and a club trying to vault itself back into the Premier League’s sharpest edge.

Now it comes down to the final days of August. Can Tottenham turn intent into signatures and give De Zerbi the firepower he believes can carry them towards the top of the table?