The goal for Tottenham Hotspur after breaking their transfer record on two occasions to seal the signings of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali is to invest in the forward line.
A plethora of big names have been linked, perhaps most notably Eli Junior Kroupi of Bournemouth. The trouble is, he’s not short of suitors, with rivals Arsenal also interested.
Other targets include the likes of Cody Gakpo and Marcus Rashford while Rafael Leao of AC Milan is also an option.
Leao has been regarded as one of the most highly skilled wingers in the game for a while now and he’s set to leave the San Siro behind in the summer window.
Why Spurs want to sign Rafael Leao
While a deal is not yet advancing, the word on the street is that Spurs have held talks with Jorge Mendes, the super agent overseeing Leao’s next move.
This would be a brilliant signing, not least because the Portuguese is widely regarded as one of the best wingers in European football.
He’s particularly nippy down the left flanks with his long legs resembling that of an elite sprinter darting towards the finish line. Milan coach Stefano Piolli even thinks he’s “like an early Thierry Henry” for the way he cuts inside from the left onto his stronger right foot.
Spurs have been lacking an elite and dynamic winger on that side of the pitch since Heung-min Son left a year ago but Leao ticks so many boxes.
He’s so quick, he’s a phenomenal dribbler and he strikes fear into the opposing team’s right-back.
The 27-year-old is no one trick pony, however. This is someone who has been scoring and assisting with such great regularity in Milan for a while now.
During each of the last five seasons, the wide forward has scored ten or more goals. Before registering just three assists in 2025/26, he had also registered double figures for assists in each of the last four campaigns. Not bad indeed.
|
Rafael Leao career by season |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Goals |
Assists |
|
2021/22 |
14 |
10 |
|
2022/23 |
16 |
11 |
|
2023/24 |
15 |
12 |
|
2024/25 |
12 |
11 |
|
2025/26 |
10 |
3 |
All that said, he’s not Roberto De Zerbi’s top target in the wide positions.
Why £60m star is Tottenham’s priority target
It remains to be seen just who Spurs sign on the flanks but according to Fabrizio Romano this weekend, it could well be Manchester City’s Savinho.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the reporter said: “My understanding of the main names to take into consideration for Tottenham for the winger positions are Cody Gakpo – but at the moment Liverpool are yet to open doors to an exit – and Savinho. Savinho is a top target for Tottenham. These two players are considered priorities for Tottenham for the winger position.
“I’m not saying they are joining, because this depends on negotiations, but Savinho is [target] number one, two and three because Tottenham already wanted one year ago.”
Already reported to be in talks to sign the player this summer, with a valuation around £60m, supporters have had reservations about the Brazilian this summer. After all, he is a player who scored just one Premier League goal in 2025/26.
In that regard, the Manchester City winger is no match for Leao. He’s not a regular goalscorer at all, finding the net on just seven occasions 84 matches for the Citizens.
Yet, beyond that, they are similar, particularly when it comes to ability to get the ball forwad quickly. Both players are a master when it comes to beating their man.
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Savinho vs Leao: Creativity and carrying |
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|---|---|---|
|
Stat (per 90 mins) |
Savinho (25/26) |
Leao (25/26) |
|
Big-chance involvement |
0.77 |
1.16 |
|
Open play expected assists |
0.17 |
0.16 |
|
Shot-ending carries |
1.86 |
1.11 |
|
Through ball passes |
0.22 |
0.24 |
|
Successful dribbles |
1.86 |
1.26 |
|
Progressive actions |
9.76 |
5.03 |
|
Progressive carries |
7.45 |
3.24 |
|
Progressive passes |
2.30 |
1.79 |
From a carrying point of view, Savinho is streets ahead. For that metric he is one of the best in Europe’s top five leagues. He’s definitely the more electric in that regard.
While that stat may not suggest they are particularly alike, if you watch them in action there is a lot to enjoy about the way they get past their marker and advance the ball forward.
For successful dribbles, there is not a lot of difference in the numbers and they appear to be pretty equally creative, registering a similar number of open play expected assists and through ball passes.
Expected Assists (xA) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a pass becoming a goal assist.
Creativity is where the two players thrive. Savinho managed as many as 13 assists during his debut year at the Etihad while Leao has created on average 11 assists a season from 2021/22 to 2024/25.
With Premier League experience under his belt and a big future ahead of him at the age of 22, perhaps there is a case to sign the City star instead.