Revealed: Pep Guardiola set to block exit for Man City star as Premier League clubs eye move

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola does not want Savinho to leave the club this summer despite his struggle for game time and lack of impact on their fortunes throughout this season.

Savinho has started just five Premier League games so far this term and is set to be targeted by several clubs during the next summer window.

He came close to leaving the Etihad Stadium to join Tottenham last summer before Guardiola stopped the move, and the same thing looks set to happen this time around.

As I revealed on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Transfer Insider podcast, Guardiola has no plans to let Savinho leave City as he still feels like the 22-year-old has a part to play next season.

Man City’s transfer plans are not set to include a high-profile winger signing after the respective arrivals of Rayan Cherki and Antoine Semenyo in the last two windows.

Pep Guardiola wants Savinho to stay at Man City despite recent struggles

Savinho has found game time harder to come by since the turn of the year and Semenyo’s arrival, with just 44 minutes played in the Premier League since he returned from a six-week injury in February.

The Brazilian winger is not set to be short of suitors this summer, with Spurs still believed to be interested, but Guardiola is a keen admirer of his talents and is not expecting him to leave ahead of next season.

Speaking on the Transfer Insider podcast, I explained: “It was Pep Guardiola who really fought to keep him (last summer) and urged the club to keep hold of him.

“He was rewarded with a new contract just last October that runs until 2031. We know how hard it is to break into City’s star-studded starting eleven.

“It’s obvious that Guardiola is a big fan of him, and I don’t think he will be rushing him out the door because he knows that Man City will have so many games to play next season, so they’ll need a lot of depth and strength in that squad.

“I’m sure there are numerous clubs keeping tabs on Savinho’s situation hoping that the lure of a regular first team football could be enough to prise him away from City.”

Omar Marmoush moving closer to Man City exit alongside Tijjani Reijnders

Marmoush looks more likely to leave the Etihad than Savinho in the summer, despite featuring in more games and scoring more goals than his Brazilian teammate throughout this season.

He has been restricted to just seven league starts up to now, and was close to leaving in January as Aston Villa and Tottenham were closely linked with a move.

Sources exclusively told Football Insider last week that Marmoush looks set to leave City this summer as they try to raise funds for new additions.

Tijjani Reijnders is the other Citizens asset who could be moved on after a largely ineffective debut season at the club.

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