Berliner Tageszeitung - Man City boss Guardiola wants to keep Tottenham target Savinho

Guardiola knows Tottenham boss Thomas Frank is interested in Savinho after the departure of Son Heung-min and a long-term injury to James Maddison.

City goalkeeper Ederson has been linked with a move to Turkish side Galatasaray after Guardiola re-signed the club's former youth academy graduate James Trafford from Burnley in the close season.

Ahead of Saturday's Premier League opener at Wolves, the City manager insisted neither Savinho nor fellow Brazilian Ederson had told him they wanted to move on.

"If they want to leave, they will come to me. If they want to leave, they will knock on my door," he told reporters on Friday.

Savinho, who made 48 appearances for City in his debut campaign last term, has been criticised for a lack of cutting edge.

And while Guardiola is keen to retain the 21-year-old, he stopped short of guaranteeing he would still be at the club when the transfer window closes in September.

"I don't know. Tottenham or any other club who wants a player should call the club," he said.

"I am only concerned right now that Savinho will be with us for the rest of the season and hopefully many, many years because at 21 years old, with the potential he has, he plays a lot of minutes.

"He has to improve in the final decisions but he is an extraordinary player. Otherwise he would not have played more than 3,000 minutes last season.

"But in the end the desire of the players is above everything. Then they have to find an agreement with the club. If they don't make an agreement, the player will be here because the club spent money on that player."

- 'I have too many players' -

Guardiola also revealed Savinho will be sidelined for "a few weeks" with an injury sustained in last week's pre-season friendly against Palermo.

City's midfield talisman Rodri, who missed most of last season with a serious knee injury, is expected to travel to Wolves despite a fitness setback.

Rodri's latest injury issue has raised doubts about his durability for the gruelling Premier League campaign and Guardiola admitted City have to careful in managing the 29-year-old's fitness.

"Rodri is so close to coming back but it is important his knee is perfect," he said.

"He needs to play minutes in training sessions.

"What we want for him is not to come back and step back. That would not be good because in this dynamic you cannot get rhythm. This competition is so demanding."

Guardiola has been keen to reduce his squad to avoid unhappy players sitting on the bench and this week he allowed England winger Jack Grealish to join Everton.

Grealish was instrumental in City's treble-winning campaign in 2023, but struggled over the last two seasons amid talk of excessive partying off the pitch.

"I wish him all the best at a traditional club like Everton and hopefully he can play, play, and play," Guardiola said.

Another player who could depart is James McAtee, who is close to finalising a move to Nottingham Forest.

"I would love to have Macca but I have too many players," Guardiola said.

P. Rasmussen--BTZ