Tottenham identify Monaco star as Savinho alternative

Tottenham Hotspur have identified Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche as a new target due to the lofty asking price for Manchester City’s Savinho.

In addition to the pursuit of Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze, Spurs have looked at the Brazilian winger, who was omitted from the City squad for the Premier League opener at Wolves last weekend due to an injury sustained in a friendly with Palermo, though the 21-year-old faces stiff competition this season to play every week under Pep Guardiola.

City can also call on Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Omar Marmoush, Oscar Bobb and Claudio Echeverri to play out wide, though Savinho remains highly-rated by the club since joining from Troyes for £30.8m in 2024.

And Akliouche, 23, has now emerged as a viable alternative, having impressed for the Ligue 1 giants last term with seven goals in all competitions and also registering in the first game of the season, a 3-1 win over Le Havre.

City would want £70m to let Savinho go, a figure Spurs are unwilling to match, leaving the Londoners searching for cheaper options, though Monaco would be after €55m (£47.5m) to let their player go.

Savinho scored just one goal in 29 Premier League appearances last term, but did add eight assists, with Guardiola left unsure over his immediate future when asked after the 4-0 win at Wolves on Saturday.

“I don’t know,” Guardiola said when asked if Savinho would stay. “Tottenham in that case or any other club who wants a player should call the club.

“I am only concerned right now that Savinho will be with us for the rest of the season and hopefully many, many years because at 21 years old, with the potential he has, he plays a lot of minutes. He has to improve in the final decisions but he is an extraordinary player.

“Otherwise he would not have played more than 3,000 minutes last season.

“But in the end the desire of the players is above everything. Then they have to find an agreement with the club. If they don’t make an agreement, the player will be here because the club spent money on that player.”