Man City want ‘control’ of 19yo’s fate as ‘explosion’ at club attracts Barca interest after Arsenal snub
According to reports, Girona forward Savio is prioritising a move to Manchester City over Barcelona after snubbing Arsenal to be a part of the City Football Group.
French side Troyes paid €6.5million to land Savio from Brazilian outfit Atletico Mineiro in July 2022, with the player opting to join a club involved in City’s multi-club model.
The 19-year-old revealed in September that Arsenal wanted to sign him, but he wanted to join Troyes to make an eventual transfer to Manchester City more likely.
“Arsenal wanted me and also the Brazilian [club] Bragantino,” he told DiarioSport.
Savio added: “I knew that Troyes was the City Group and I thought that by working I could one day reach Manchester City. Of course, I will have to do very well here in Girona.”
The Brazil Under-20 international spent last season on loan with PSV in the Netherlands, playing eight times for their first team and nine times for their U21s.
He has been given the chance to impress by Girona boss Francisco Rodriguez this term, though.
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Girona – who are also a part of the City Football Group – are flying this season and are currently top of La Liga with 11 wins from their opening 13 fixtures.
Savio’s form on the left wing is a huge reason for their success, scoring five goals and providing four assists in 14 appearances across all competitions.
Manchester City’s owners have clubs from all around the world and Savio’s loan move from Troyes to Girona hints that the European champions are keeping a close eye on his progress with the view to buying him in the future.
Thankfully for Pep Guardiola’s side, Premier League clubs voted against a ban on loaning players from within the same ownership group, which would have likely led to a ban on permanent transfers.
So the future signing of Savio is one to keep an eye on.
And according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, City will be prioritised by the 19-year-old over La Liga champions Barcelona, who are interested.
This report was on Monday and a more recent one from Sport (via Sport Witness) says it is unlikely the Blaugrana will win the race to sign Savio from Troyes.
The Cityzens apparently have ‘no intention of losing control’ over Savio, given his ‘explosion’ at Girona in 2023/24.
The current plan for the City owners is to let the Brazilian stay at Girona next season, which will be even better if they qualify for a European competition.
A move to the Etihad is definitely not unrealistic for the former Arsenal target, but Barcelona are unlikely to give up, even if they are skint.
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