What does Savinho's £75m move reveal about Man City's multi-club model?

Savinho spent four years under the City Football Group model [Getty Images] For the City Football Group (CFG), the soon-to-be-completed sale of Savinho to Tottenham will mark a milestone moment. The fee of £75m plus £10m in add-ons agreed represents a record sale for Manchester City, the most prominent club in CFG's stable. Savinho's time with City's ownership group has not been without scrutiny. He was a record signing for CFG-owned French club Troyes from Atletico Mineiro in 2022. But left two years later having never played for the club. At 18, he was sent on loan to Dutch side PSV for the 2022-23 season, and then to fellow CFG-owned Spanish club Girona for 23-24, where he built his reputation. He featured in 37 league matches as Girona secured Champions League qualification for the first time, registering nine goals and eight assists. City immediately bought him from Troyes for £30.8m in 2024, which raised questions at the time whether that fee was fair market value, after an impressive spell in Spain. Savinho scored just twice and contributed 12 assists during his two seasons in the Premier League so, although it could be argued he was not a sporting success in Manchester, he has been a financial one. The fee attached to Savinho - which has caught many by surprise - has represented a huge win for CFG, which has links to 12 clubs worldwide. In an industry where player trading has become such a vital component of how modern day football is run, the enormous profit generated from the 22-year-old's sale - at almost £70m if all the bonuses linked to his move to north London are met - is significant. City would argue signing an 18-year-old from South America and selling that player for £75m four years later does also represent sporting success and Tottenham will be encouraged by his loan spell in La Liga which saw Savinho named in the La Liga team of the year. Savinho spent the season with Girona in La Liga in 2023-23 [Getty Images] "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. "But there was a moment when they were deciding between the two options, because they also knew that Savio having another year at Girona playing in the Champions League was also a very good option. "But as soon as there was an interest from Pep and Txiki in him being a player that would be able to play in the [City] first team squad, then of course the player didn't have any doubts." In his first season with City, during which he made 48 appearances under Pep Guardiola, Savinho made 16 goal contributions in all competitions and his eight Premier League assists during that campaign was the highest at the club. "It's a success story for the group," CFG's managing director of global football Brian Marwood told BBC Sport. "The idea is always 'can we get them to the pinnacle in our group', which is Manchester City. There might be some along the way that might be good assets for the group. "And Savinho has clearly been a fantastic asset - because not only has he played for Manchester City but now he is leaving for a considerable amount of money. "We have created a pathway for the boy but credit to him because he is playing in one of the best leagues in the world." Nevertheless, there are those who will maintain Tottenham have overpaid for Savinho but what he does on the pitch will answer those questions. Those at CFG will look on with interest at how Savinho fares away from their nest. Academy sales a big business Manchester City sold Morgan Rogers to Aston Villa for an initial fee of £8m [Getty Images] In January, BBC Sport highlighted how Manchester City, as a separate entity, has turned selling players nurtured in their academy into big business. Morgan Rogers, Douglas Luiz, Cole Palmer, Liam Delap and Oscar Bobb are among the players developed by City to have been sold on and are now playing, or have played, for rival Premier League sides. City have recouped more than £250m from selling young players over the past five years alone. "To find a balance between recruiting players for sporting success and ones that could become more of an asset in the future is difficult," explained Marwood. "One of the hardest bits about signing young players is that you don't know an awful lot about them but some will come in, adapt, work hard, have ambition and aspiration and go on and have fantastic careers. "Oleksandr Zinchenko is a prime example. Taty Castellanos is another. So is Jack Harrison." Invariably, CFG is not always on point with its talent identification of young talent. Some will make it, some will not. That's the nature of the player recruitment beast. The success of Rogers and Palmer, with Aston Villa and Chelsea, has shown that City have sometimes have sold too soon. Former Aston Villa forward Rogers was sold by Manchester City to Middlesborough in February 2024 for an initial fee of £8m. Last month Chelsea paid £117m for him. Palmer - sold by City for £40m in 2023 - would demand a similar fee if he were to leave Stamford Bridge. But as Savinho takes the next step in his career, City are turning their attentions to the future. There are high hopes for Ryan McAidoo, an 18-year-old at City who has already made his senior debut for the club. Japan's Shin Miidera, a 16-year-old attacker playing for partner club Yokohama F. Marinos, is another CFG are monitoring very closely. Then there is 16-year-old American midfielder Cavan Sullivan, who currently plays for MLS club Philadelphia Union, but will join Manchester City when he turns 18. Vitor Reiss - who spent last season on loan to Girona from City - is tipped to make the grade. "In an ideal world you would love for them to stay with you from the beginning right through to the very end - but the reality is it's probably not going to happen," added Marwood. "The challenge is can we produce the next one? OK- Savinho's gone - but where is the next one? That's the fascination of this business, you have to look three and four years ahead. "It's important we grow this hub of young talent and hopefully find them pathways and produce a conveyor belt of talent and use our network of clubs to aid there development." The measure of their success will be judged on the pitch and on the books. Latest Manchester City news, analysis and fan views Ask about Man City - what do you want to know?