Manchester City have agreed to sell winger Savinho to Tottenham Hotspur in a club-record deal worth an initial £75m.
The transfer, which includes a further £10m in performance-related add-ons, represents a massive financial windfall for the City Football Group (CFG).
Spurs are acquiring a 22-year-old who delivered 16 goal contributions in 48 appearances under Pep Guardiola last season.
The Brazilian led the Premier League champions in domestic assists during his solitary campaign at Etihad Stadium.
A multi-club success story
The highly profitable sale highlights the controversial but lucrative nature of the Abu Dhabi-owned network’s multi-club model.
He originally joined CFG-owned French side Troyes in 2022 for a club-record fee but departed two years later without making a single appearance.
Instead, the South American prospect developed his reputation during loan spells with Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven and Spanish outfit Girona.
His breakthrough 2023-24 season in La Liga saw him register nine goals and eight assists as Girona secured historic Champions League qualification.
Internal transfers and rapid profit
Following his impressive spell in Spain, the English champions purchased the attacker internally from Troyes for £30.8m in early 2024.
That intra-network transaction drew significant scrutiny over whether the transfer fee represented fair market value.
Despite lingering questions over his long-term sporting legacy in Manchester, flipping the player for a £44m profit mere months later marks an undeniable business triumph.
“It’s a success story for the group.”
Brian Marwood, CFG managing director of global football
Girona’s lingering regrets
Girona had desperately hoped to retain their talisman for their inaugural European Cup campaign before Guardiola integrated him into the English setup.
“Our intention from the moment that we reached the Champions League was to try to get him to stay for another year,” Quique Carcel, director of football at Girona, told BBC Sport.
“But logically after making such a big impact, City, Pep and Txiki Begiristain were already considering having him in their first-team squad.”
Tottenham fans will now hope the dynamic forward can immediately replicate his stunning Spanish form as he heads to north London.
Mitchell Starc claimed a magnificent 10-wicket match haul as Australia avenged their shock defeat to Bangladesh with an innings-and-51-run victory in Mackay to draw the series.
Dominant seamers decimate the tourists
The visitors were skittled for just 95 in their second innings inside 39 overs at the Great Barrier Reef Arena.
Nathan Lyon and captain Pat Cummins provided excellent support by taking three wickets apiece to wrap up the victory shortly after tea on day two.
The crushing result follows a stunning nine-wicket defeat for the world’s top-ranked side in Darwin last Sunday.
That initial loss was widely regarded as one of the greatest upsets in modern Test cricket.
“A lot of things went right these couple days and a lot of things went wrong last week,” said Cummins.
“We needed to bounce back, and it was a great couple of days from the lads. I thought everyone was sharp.”
Starc climbs the all-time rankings
Earlier in the day, the hosts extended their overnight total to 210, with Cameron Green top-scoring with 67 to secure a 146-run first-innings lead.
Bangladesh left-arm paceman Shoriful Islam was the standout performer for the tourists, finishing with impressive figures of 7-48.
However, a catastrophic second-innings start saw the Asian side slump to 24-3 within eight overs.
The Player of the Match and Series reflected on his side’s drastically improved performance following the collapse.
“Much better week. We knew we weren’t at our best, or what we expect of ourselves, in Darwin,” stated the 36-year-old.
The veteran fast bowler has now ascended to 10th on the all-time Test wicket-takers list with 445 dismissals.
He sits 126 victims behind his spin-bowling team-mate Lyon, who currently occupies sixth place globally.
Looking ahead to South Africa
The Australians will now turn their attention to a highly anticipated three-match tour against world Test champions South Africa in October.
Jessica Pegula has defeated Iga Swiatek in a gruelling three-hour epic to set up the first all-American women’s Cincinnati Open final in 56 years against Coco Gauff.
The third seed triumphed 7-5 4-6 6-4 over the six-time Grand Slam champion in a volatile contest featuring 13 breaks of serve.
Her victory guarantees a historic domestic showdown on Sunday following Gauff’s comfortable 6-4 6-1 win over unseeded Czech Sara Bejlek.
It will be the tournament’s first all-US women’s championship match since Rosie Casals overcame Nancy Richey in the 1970 final.
An emotionally draining encounter
Reflecting on the tense semi-final, the 30-year-old admitted the fluctuating momentum made it incredibly difficult to find a rhythm.
“I felt like we were playing well at times and then not playing well at times, so it was really tough to get a gauge on the match.”
“Sometimes there’s matches like that where you just see a lot of breaks back and forth, and I just kept telling myself to not get too upset about it.”
“It is a little emotionally draining.”
Tiafoe and Fils make ATP Masters history
In the men’s draw, Frances Tiafoe dispatched fellow American Brandon Nakashima 7-5 6-3 to arrange a landmark championship clash against France’s Arthur Fils.
The upcoming encounter marks the first time two black players will ever meet in an ATP Masters 1000 final.
The American, who recently fell to Jannik Sinner in the 2024 Cincinnati Open final, expressed immense pride in the cultural significance of the moment.
“It’s awesome for a bunch of kids looking up to us and who want to be in our position.”
“It’s always nice to be a part of history.”
“Hopefully we can have more big finals like this having people of colour, and I’m super pumped about it.”
To date, only two black men have successfully captured a Masters 1000 title, with American Ben Shelton and Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga previously achieving the prestigious feat.
Liverpool will begin a Premier League season without Mohamed Salah for the first time in a decade when they travel to Newcastle United on Sunday following his departure to Trabzonspor.
The Reds open their 2026-27 campaign under Andoni Iraola at St James’ Park this weekend.
Meanwhile, their former Egyptian talisman will be lining up 2,100 miles away in the Turkish Super Lig.
Moving on from a legendary era
This weekend marks the first time since 2015 that the Merseyside club will start a campaign without Salah, Sadio Mane or Roberto Firmino.
That iconic trio amassed a staggering 488 goals between them over an incredible 11-year spell.
With the record-breaking winger now out of the picture, Cody Gakpo stands as the current top scorer in the squad with just 50 goals.
Pressure mounts on costly summer signings
The Anfield hierarchy invested heavily last summer, spending a combined £320m on Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike with the future in mind.
However, the immense goalscoring and creative burden left by the club’s greatest modern attacker must now be shared.
Ekitike enjoyed a promising start to his Anfield career before suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon in April.
Consequently, Isak and Wirtz are under immense pressure to lead the line following disappointing debut campaigns.
Transfer search intensifies for Barcola
Despite expectations of a statement signing to replace their departed superstar, the club has yet to secure a top-class forward.
A move for 19-year-old rising star Yan Diomande collapsed after the teenager opted to join Real Madrid from RB Leipzig.
Focus has now shifted to Paris St-Germain winger Bradley Barcola, with growing confidence that a deal can be reached.
The French champions initially demanded £145m for the attacker, though Liverpool hope to negotiate a fee closer to the £100m mark.
Club captain Virgil van Dijk has publicly acknowledged the need to strengthen the squad before the transfer window closes.
“We need a squad that is able to compete on all four fronts, that’s the only way to try to be successful. Let’s see what the last couple weeks of the transfer window brings and then let’s go for it.”
Teofimo Lopez became a three-weight world champion by defeating Rolando Romero via majority decision to claim the WBA welterweight title in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Making his debut at 147lbs, the 29-year-old absorbed his former sparring partner’s early power to secure a hard-fought victory at the T-Mobile Arena.
Two judges scored the contest 115-113 and 116-112 in favour of the challenger, while the third official saw it as a 114-114 draw.
Vital career resurgence
The result represents a crucial return to winning ways for the newly crowned champion.
He had previously suffered a lopsided points defeat against Shakur Stevenson in their WBO super-lightweight clash earlier this year.
“I’m a true example of what winning is and it ain’t about losing. It’s about never giving up.”
Teofimo Lopez
Meanwhile, Romero was making his first appearance in the ring following a lengthy 15-month layoff.
The defending titleholder found early success despite the long absence, visibly rocking his opponent with a right hand in the fifth round.
Romero disputes judges’ scorecards
The challenger recovered swiftly from the early scare and dictated the pace throughout the second half of the bout.
Compubox statistics showed the three-division champion landed 124 of his 530 punches, heavily targeting the body to wear down his rival.
In stark contrast, the Las Vegas native connected with just 73 strikes all evening and landed a mere two punches in the final round.
The defeat is his first since being stopped by Isaac Cruz in March 2024.
“I got hit with two punches the whole fight that barely grazed me. I was never in any trouble. When I heard 114-114, I knew it was a robbery.”
Rolando Romero
Future unification bouts await
The victorious Brooklyn-born fighter now possesses numerous lucrative options in boxing’s historic glamour division.
Potential opponents include WBO champion Devin Haney or a clash with IBF titleholder Liam Paro.
“There was a shot he hit me with that woke me up, and I told him, ‘You got to do better than that.’ I just kept saying, ‘You ain’t going to take me out.'”
Teofimo Lopez
Substitute Carlos Espi scored a 90th-minute winner to secure Real Madrid a 2-1 victory over Espanyol and give Jose Mourinho a successful start to his second managerial spell.
The Portuguese coach returned to the dugout for the Spanish giants after a 13-year absence.
It appeared his homecoming would end in a frustrating La Liga draw before the late intervention from the summer signing.
Bellingham strikes before Espanyol response
England international Jude Bellingham gave the visitors a perfect start by heading home the opening goal just nine minutes into the contest in Barcelona.
However, the hosts responded strongly and found an equaliser on the half-hour mark through Cala.
The match remained finely balanced until the dying moments when Kylian Mbappe was dispossessed inside the penalty area.
The loose ball fell perfectly for Espi to fire past goalkeeper Marko Dmitrovic just 10 minutes after being introduced from the bench.
A night of notable debuts
The 21-year-old match-winner arrived from Levante for a reported 25m euros (£21.4m) following a standout individual campaign.
His decisive strike was his 11th league goal since late February, representing the highest tally of any player in the division during that timeframe.
Mourinho named Marc Cucurella, Denzel Dumfries and Bernardo Silva in his starting lineup.
This marked the first time Los Blancos had fielded three debutants in their opening league fixture since Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema featured in 2009.
Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, who became the club’s most expensive summer recruit following his 125m euro (£107m) transfer from RB Leipzig, also made his first appearance as a second-half replacement for Arda Guler.
Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has vowed to find a replacement for Rodri following the midfielder’s £65m transfer to Barcelona.
The Spain captain recently ended a highly successful seven-year spell at Etihad Stadium by signing a four-year contract with the La Liga champions.
“How do we solve that problem?” asked Maresca. “We try to find the new Rodri, it is what it is.”
During his time in England, the 30-year-old established himself as one of the finest operators in world football.
The former Atletico Madrid man claimed the 2024 Ballon d’Or and scored the decisive goal in the 2023 Champions League final.
City’s track record of replacing legends
Finding a successor for the recent World Cup winner is a daunting task, but the City boss remains optimistic.
The manager pointed to the club’s successful history of seamlessly replacing iconic figures over the past decade.
“I was thinking on Thursday night, when David Silva was here, everyone was worried and Kevin [De Bruyne] arrived,” Maresca added.
“When Sergio [Aguero] was here, everyone was worried [when he was going to leave] and Erling [Haaland] arrived. Fernandinho? Rodri arrived.”
“When they leave, you need to be good in recruiting the next one.”
Late transfer window business
The reigning English champions are expected to be highly active in the final 10 days of the current transfer window.
A club-record £115m deal has already been completed to bring England international Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
Negotiations are also progressing for Lille prospect Ayyoub Bouaddi, while Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez remains a potential target.
Several departures are also anticipated before the deadline, with Tottenham agreeing a £75m fee for Brazilian winger Savinho.
Spurs are concurrently locked in talks to acquire versatile forward Omar Marmoush from the Manchester outfit.
“It doesn’t help that there are players that for different reasons want to leave, that is for sure, but we need to adapt and also we don’t want to keep players here who don’t want to stay,” Maresca concluded.
Manchester United delivered a lacklustre performance under Michael Carrick as newly-promoted Hull City secured a deserved victory on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic deployed a highly physical defensive system to neutralise the attacking threat of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.
Wing-backs Lewie Coyle and Ryan Giles provided relentless service for target man Oli McBurnie throughout the afternoon.
The Tigers dominated the aerial battles, winning almost two-thirds of their duels before the half-time interval.
Midfield struggles for the visitors
In stark contrast, the visiting side lacked basic intensity and were heavily punished for their lethargic approach on Humberside.
A static midfield pairing of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans struggled immensely to contain the energetic hosts.
The sluggish performance epitomised a concerning lack of hunger from the 20-time English champions.
Elsewhere in the top flight, Everton demonstrated significant maturity to defeat Crystal Palace in their opening fixture.
Everton youngsters shine at Goodison Park
David Moyes fielded his second-youngest starting line-up since returning to the club for his second managerial stint.
Inexperienced teenager Harrison Armstrong and new signing Hayden Hackney performed superbly in the centre of the pitch.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall set the tone for the Toffees by scoring a magnificent opening goal.
Forward Iliman Ndiaye continued his impressive form, having contributed to 19 goals since his arrival ahead of the 2024 campaign.
Transfer ambitions on Merseyside
The Everton hierarchy are now actively seeking a new right-back before the summer transfer window officially closes.
Reports also suggest the Merseyside club are exploring an ambitious reunion with former Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish.
In London, Arsenal have immediately emerged as early title contenders following a rejuvenated attacking display.
Daniel Farke continues to publicly play down expectations at Elland Road despite Leeds United claiming a vital opening victory.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur suffered a damaging weekend defeat, as newly-promoted Ipswich Town successfully secured three crucial points.