Savinho to Tottenham 'already done' as Man City forced to 'balance the books'

Savinho's move from Manchester City to Tottenham Hotspur is all-but-confirmed as Roberto De Zerbi continues his rebuild.

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that a deal between the two Premier League clubs has likely already been reached.

Tottenham had previously tried to sign the 22-year-old winger, who was struggling for game time under Pep Guardiola, with a £70million price tag placed on his head.

It is believed that the transfer fee has plummetted to just above £50m this summer, and he could be one of multiple players released by the Citizens over the coming weeks.

Man City have already waved goodbye to John Stones and Bernardo Silva, with Omar Marmoush potentially another one to leave, freeing up some much-needed wages at the Etihad Stadium.

Having previously described City's cost-base as close to "out of control," Borson, with interest in Elliot Anderson and Sandro Tonali, has raised concerns over the club's finances.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the expert is expecting a huge reduction in the size of the squad, and is expecting Savinho to be the next name through the exit doors.

"I think they will have to deal with some of the sales. I'm going to assume that they've already done a deal for Savinho, or close to, he said.

"That makes a difference. It's big profit if he's sold for £55m-£60m, so big book profit also removes some of that wage.

"They must be compliant [with PSR] and they must feel as though some of these fringe players that they've got, beyond Savinho, can be sold at least for what they paid.

"They definitely will need to reduce the size of the squad. Certainly if they sign, and they will sign Anderson, two very, very high-profile midfield players in one window [Sandro Tonali], they would they would have to balance those books."

If there really are financial concerns at the Etihad, Savinho is unlikely to be the final player to walk through the exit doors this summer.

The squad is filled to the brim with talent, but not everyone is satisfied with their game time, such as Tijjani Reijnders, Rico Lewis and Ruben Dias.

It is also about time that players, such as Kalvin Phillips and Mateo Kovacic, are removed from the books, especially given the fees that brought them to the club.

The Citizens have more than enough players to sell, but potential incomings, like Anderson or Tonali, will make the wage budget skyrocket once again.